


In Time, Death

by Alesyira



Series: The Curse [3]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adult Shippou (InuYasha), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, This probably isn't a harem fic, Time Travel, but sometimes I wonder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:41:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 137,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27142600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alesyira/pseuds/Alesyira
Summary: Time isn't done with Kagome, yet.  A single favor for a strange person Shippo met hundreds of years ago sends Kagome down an unexpected path.How much trouble can one person get into when they hold the past, present, and future in the palm of their hand?  (lots)
Relationships: Hiei/Kurama | Minamino Shuuichi, Kagome/Hiei (will they or won't they??), Kagome/Kurama (maybe maybe-not), Kagome/OC (omg it NEVER ENDS), Kagome/Shippo (teasing?), Koenma/Kagome (one-sided?), Shippo/Hiei (teasing or someone is definitely going to lose a limb)
Series: The Curse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890910
Comments: 51
Kudos: 15





	1. Toshi

**Author's Note:**

> If you're new here, this is the third story in a trilogy. You can PROBABLY read this by itself without getting TOO LOST, but there will be characters, places, and situations that are referred to that I will not be 'oh yeah btw this is who or where that is' all the time. If I call up an old character I'll try to remember to put in a reference guide at the end of the chapter. maybe. Also, yeah I'm writing whatever the hell I feel like writing. Relationships are gonna be all over the damned place. (I won't tag relationships until they've for sure made it into the story, because my early drafts are very subject to change right now.)
> 
> I'm not sorry if it's not a pairing you like. I'm not sorry if chars aren't monogamous enough. (bc they won't be.) I'm gonna be flexing some crazy muscles for this fic in preparation of completely rewriting book 1 and most of 2 sometime in the next year or so... no holds barred.
> 
> One last thing, I rant in my FFN profile about current writing status with updates every so often when I'm actively writing. Review, if you like. Questions and comments are welcome. Log in if you'd like answers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A single smile can change the course of a life.

_\- 1970 -_

Years passed, but the Ningenkai didn't really change all that much. The human experience was much the same each decade: fights over land, fights over property, fights over significant others. The only things that really changed over the years was the quality of air, the number of trees, the amount of concrete, and the technology driving it all. Well, that and the number of humans. So many. So _many_. They multiplied like rabbits. Such short lives, parents in their twenties, grandparents in their fifties, death by seventy. Every time he came, new faces, new crowds, and a million new scents to sift through.

Shippo walked casually along a dirty alley, staring at his shoes as his nose filtered out anything noteworthy within the _gross_ assaulting his senses. He probably should have made this particular excursion into the human realm with illusions to hide his presence so he could hop along rooftops to do his reconnaissance, but he was stubborn and insisted on getting into the thick of humanity. If he skipped the shitty parts of life, he wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the better stuff. At least, that's what he told himself when his eyes were watering from another unexpectedly foul cloud belching from the exhaust pipe of an automobile rolling past.

He huffed a sigh and kicked an empty can to the end of the narrow passageway, then plucked it from the ground and dropped it in a trashcan as he glanced around at the neighborhood. It had been a while since he'd visited last, and while the streets seemed the same, the buildings had been updated. He smiled at the sight of a few new trees that had been planted.

He turned his gaze to the left and marveled at the towering branches of the ancient god tree he'd _really_ come here to visit. Nothing would compare to that beauty. The stairs leading up to the shrine were just as daunting as ever, lined by thick woods on either side. He loped up the steps, taking them two and three at a time, slowing only once he reached the freshly-painted red arch spanning the top. His gaze wandered the grounds, taking in the small things that had changed, the big things that seemed ageless, and then to the tree itself.

A young boy stood at its base, glaring up at the branches high above. His blue-black hair ruffled in the breeze as he folded his arms across his chest with an achingly familiar scowl on his face. Shippo bit his lip and barely held back a giggle at the similarities. He glanced around to make sure there wasn't anyone else to see before he walked forward, his form shimmering into a shorter, younger, less colorful version of himself.

"Hey," he said, smirking at the boy as he strolled up to the base of the tree. "I'm new around here. Who are you?"

"I'm Toshi. What's your name?"

"You can call me Shin." Shippo watched the boy in open curiosity. His eyes were a pleasantly familiar blue, the first signs he'd spotted lately of his favorite person's unique trait. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Toshi shrugged, frowning at the tree again. "My dad is stupid."

Shippo laughed. "Sometimes they are. Wanna go play?" It had been a long time since he'd played, and this boy looked like he needed to run off some steam. Toshi's smile was blindingly sweet and Shippo felt his heart skip a beat. He'd have a hard time leaving this one behind.

So he didn't.


	2. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home again, but life doesn't just slip back into boring normalcy so easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE YOU GET INVESTED, pop down to the bottom of the page for a thorough warning. It gets lengthy. This is an M rated fic. There will eventually be smut. Any character engaging in said smut is adult-aged.

Kagome turned the dark wooden box over in her hands as she walked slowly along the upstairs hallway to her room.

The silence of night had descended upon the household. Her mother could be heard downstairs, dishes clinking softly as she washed and dried. Her brother had retreated to his bedroom to work on a paper for school.

The strange elder and her skinny apprentice spoke in soft tones as he fetched items they'd need to help her grandfather. She wasn't sure who to thank for the favor of Reikai healers making a house call, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever know what the hell she'd done to deserve such a thing from someone with that much sway. She clutched the box between trembling fingers, her eyes misting as she realized that maybe their time together as a small family wouldn't be cut short so quickly. He'd been _so ill_ … She sniffled and smiled, blinking away the looming tears.

Not even a week before, she'd thought her life had been settled. She'd completed the jewel and had returned home permanently, unfortunately stuck with the curse of someone else's magic while hosting a horribly irritating and somewhat sentient parasitic plant that made her pretty much untouchable.

_Then the Goshinboku disaster had happened._

Her short-lived ability to communicate with the god tree had landed her a solo mission to save it from some crazy jerk in the Makai. It had been a rushed, potentially deadly quest in a dangerous realm filled with denizens that probably thought of her as some kind of bogeyman monster, and it was going about as badly as she could have expected such a thing to go. Her fortune abruptly changed, thanks to the team of strangers sent to rescue a damsel in distress (or stop a deadly blight on their lands, in the case of at least one of them).   
She still had to deal with the very real danger of her death on more than one occasion, somehow unsealing the power of the jewel, being possessed by a crazed spirit and then nearly killing herself to regain control. She shuddered as she recalled that horrifying, burning pain of turning her magic against herself.

She'd gotten a few good memories, too. Her first real kiss in the arms of a remarkably tempting but _highly suspicious_ kitsune avatar, _wanting_ to kiss a completely different fire elemental that was as equally fascinating and mysterious as he was irritable, and last but not least, _Shippo._

She hadn't been sure if (or when) she'd ever see one of her old friends again, and it being _Shippo_ that swooped in to play hero at her side made her giddy with nostalgia and relief.

She was sad he'd found his mother after all that time only to lose her again. She paused outside her door, tilting her head in contemplation as she clutched the wooden box to her chest. The spirit of Shippo's father had personally come to collect both the spirits of his mother and that angry, broken, love-sick fire elemental. It _sounded_ like the three of them would get another shot at life together.

She opened her door and took a deep, calming breath in her room, her haven, her sanctuary. Everything was in its place. She set the box down on her desk and stepped to her window to stare out at the Goshinboku, thinking of the trio and the lives they may have lived if things had gone differently. She wondered if their spirits were hanging out within the great tree in the other realm or if there was another place that youkai spirits went before they… _well_ …did whatever they were going to do. Would they reincarnate as friends in their next lives? Strangers that happen to meet and realize they were meant to be together?

She sighed, her imagination going a little wild. She loved a good romance, especially with her life being such a roller coaster of the good mixed in with the bad and the ugly.

She blinked and yawned.

_Bath_.

_Sleep_.

Tucking a set of soft pajama pants and a long-sleeved button-up flannel beneath her arm, she slipped quietly down the hall to get really and truly clean for the first time since she'd left. She stared at the blank expanse of skin in the mirror for longer than she'd meant to, still amazed at being freed from the troublesome blue plant.

The water trickling away down the drain turned brown as she rinsed off the dirt and blood spatter that had lingered in her hair and seemed ground into her pores. The scent of mild soaps filled the steaming air as she washed away the physical stains and emotional strains and just let her mind go blank and calm. Skin was patted down, tangles were teased out, hair was fluffed dry, pajamas donned and teeth brushed.

Time had slipped by as she'd washed away the last few days. She stepped into a darkened hallway, the house quiet and still. She padded silently back to her room and paused with her hand on the doorknob, then pressed her forehead against the cool wooden surface. Tidbits of darker memories crept back into her thoughts. Cute, fluffy animals with razor sharp teeth, falling dead at her ankles. Cruel denizens lurking in the forest wanting to hurt her, dying as they chased her through the deep shadows of a strange forest.

_Massive paws crushing homes_. _Screaming families_. _The scent of death_. _Gore under her claws_.

The door opened and she was yanked into the darkness of her bedroom just before the first muffled sobs could escape her throat.

Warm arms wrapped around her. "Shh, shhhhh," he whispered. "You couldn't wait to do that until you got in here, at least? You're gonna wake everyone up," he chided.

She was somehow not surprised to find herself clinging to a very tall Shippo in the middle of her room as she hid her face against the soft fabric of his shirt. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, pulling her with him to sit in a jumble of limbs on her floor. He curled himself around her as she curled into herself, pressing her hands to her face with her knees against her chest.

She shuddered a breath and shook her head, sniffling. "Not yet. How… how are you here already? I thought-"

He shrugged it off. "I can be pretty fast."

He'd sped as quickly as he could to the island of his mother's youth. He knew every nook and cranny of that small dot of land far offshore, and what little he’d gleaned from his mother's brief attempts to share her story had given him a good idea of where to look for the final resting place of the star-crossed lovers.

There had been a small clearing within the trees, almost perfectly circle, that never seemed to be overrun by the wild growth of forest surrounding it. Every time he'd visited the island to look for new clues or to revisit the old ones, he'd stop by this tiny space and wonder at why it remained so untouched over the centuries.

Even as he stepped into the circle of its green embrace that day, he couldn't detect a trace of anything unnatural that should prevent the forest from creeping in. This perfect location was where he left the bodies of his mother and the strange male she'd loved in her youth. He brushed his fingertips along the stripes gracing his cheek and wondered at his nature, how hard he'd loved his mother that she'd been left with a piece of him even after they'd been separated for decades.

He marveled that he'd inherited such a strong affinity for fire as it sang through his veins and dripped from his claws. He regretted that he'd never get to know this 'mountain kami' as anything other than an enemy.

A cool breeze fluttered Kagome's curtains and she looked up to stare out the half-open window at the sparkling of a few stars, her fingers clutched in the thick material of his… she turned to look at what he wore. "A hoodie?"

"Yeah, they're comfy."

Thinking of the mundane helped push away the traumas lingering in the dark corners of her mind. She smiled and tucked her head under his chin. She yawned again, and then the shift of one of his limbs brushing the back of her arm reminded her of the box on her desk. "Oh! You're here, so you can give me your thoughts on this."

She scrambled from his lap and fetched the wooden container to show him. "The Reikai…" she trailed off as she slid to the floor next to him. "Well, _that_ didn't go as I thought it would. They let me go this morning with _zero_ questions, a bunch of them called me Kagome-sama, the boss gave me some weird phone thing, and then some healers showed up here tonight with this box of seals for me!"

Shippo stared at her in confusion. " _They_ knew who you were?"

She shrugged. "I guess so? Koenma… I guess he's the boss? He said someone named Hisako had told them all about me."

Shippo frowned. "I knew a miko named Hisako* a long time ago, but that name isn't very unique." He chuckled. "Would be one hell of a coincidence, though. I hit on her a lot."

"This seems to be a running theme with you," she smirked, poking him in the chest.

He waggled his eyebrows. "Kitsune like to play grownup games." Reaching out with one long-fingered hand, he easily plucked the box from her grip and popped open the lid. "Oooh, these are _fancy_." He withdrew one slip of paper with the tips of his claws and examined the tiny script. "Looks like these are hand-printed, and they definitely have miko magic laced between the letters. And a whole box of them? Wow, A-plus for effort. Do you know what they do?"

"The healer downstairs says they're seals for me. If I had to _guess_ , it would be the jewel."

He scooted closer, looking excited. "Let's test!"

Kagome laughed and waved his hand away as he tried to stick the paper to her forehead. "No, no, they're supposed to go here," she waved at her torso. She rose up on her knees to tug the fabric between two buttons aside and he slipped the paper through the gap. It stuck like a magnet to her skin and she made a face at the weird rippling sensation that washed throughout her body like a wave of vaguely tingling numbness.

He peered up into her face, expectant. "Well?"

"I guess I feel…" she stared at her fingers. "More normal?" She shrugged.

He reached out for her hands, watching her as their skin touched. Nothing. No crazy hair billow, no spark of power, no swell of energy buffeting the small room.

She frowned in concern. "One more thing to test." She took one of his fingertips between hers and poked the tip of her finger with the sharp point of his claw.

He jerked his hand back in surprise, "Hey, don't do that!" he hissed.

She waved him away and watched the tiny puncture well with a bright red bead of blood. "It's not healing like earlier. I guess it really suppresses all of it."

He rolled his eyes. "Dummy," he muttered before he stuck her fingertip in his mouth.

Her cheeks flushed as she stared at him scowling with her finger between his lips. "Um, does it burn?" She asked, thinking of the strange conversation she'd had with Hiei just that morning.

He swiped the tip of his tongue along the cut and then pulled her finger free to examine the puncture. "Does what burn?" Another lick. He held her fingertip between his own to apply pressure while he looked at her for clarification.

"My blood. Um..." she turned even more pink. "Hiei said it burns."

He smirked. "Doesn't burn me. I'm _special_."

She felt an inexplicable wave of disappointment. "Oh."

Shippo chuckled. "Look, I know you've got a thousand and one questions for me, but it's late and I'm certain you haven't had decent sleep in a long time."

Her face twisted into an expression he could only classify as a very tired pout. "Come on, don’t be like a five year old and whine about not being sleepy. I know better." He helped her to her feet and pulled back her blankets to tuck her into bed.

"Are you leaving already?" She asked, a yawn creeping up on her.

"Nope."

"Will you be here in the morning?"

He brushed fingertips over her forehead and smoothed down a minor disarray of her eyebrow. "Kagome, I'll be here until you tell me to go away."

Her eyelids were heavy, but she peeked at him through her lashes and smiled in joy.

He watched as she slid off into oblivion, then settled himself under her windowsill with a tiny notebook and pencil. The sharp tip softly scratching against the smooth tooth of paper was soothing and constant as the hours ticked by. He was patient, waiting for the nightmare he knew would come. He'd lost himself to the burning rage once or twice in his long life but had been lucky enough to have someone bigger and stronger to reign him in and stop the destruction before anyone had been hurt. Kagome hadn't been so lucky, and he'd seen the mess left behind after her possession's brief rampage.

He was expecting the nightmare but not its intensity. Before she'd even made a sound, he could sense her rising distress as her magic rose up to fight off the memory of an angry youkai spirit. He pressed fingertips to her wall and dumped power into the structure, sending up a barrier around her room to muffle the lightshow and screaming that would likely commence over the next few minutes. He shook his head in resignation and rolled to his knees to carefully nudge her awake.

The nightmare had its teeth buried deep. Bloody red landscapes, razor sharp trees, voices screaming as very small people tried to escape the path of her careless rage. Kagome thrashed against the thing holding her back, trapped her within her mind as she fought to regain control over herself. She knew it would hurt to purify the darkness away but she did it anyways, bracing against the searing agony that would no doubt follow.

Whatever pain she'd been expecting in this horrible dreamscape was _absolutely_ not what happened, as an unexpected pulse of toe-curling pleasure zipped straight through her. Her eyes flew open as she arched up off the bed with a sudden gasp, drenched in sweat, her flailing arms held in the firm grip of the frazzled kitsune leaning over her, his eyes glowing and his short hair sticking out in every direction. He looked as surprised as she felt.

"Uh," he choked out, looking away briefly as he licked dry lips. He blinked and gave her a wary peek. "You ok, now?"

She nodded, mute.

He swallowed and released her arms to push a hand through his hair, settling the fluffed strands back into some semblance of order. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and stared at the pristine undersides of her nails, absently checking for any remnant of the days before. She could see nothing there, but she could still feel the mud, the dried blood, the gore jammed beneath claws that no longer existed on her fingertips.

He perched on the mattress at her side. "Ready to talk about it now?"

Her eyes misted and her lower lip wobbled as she nodded again, and he hauled her into a hug as he patted her back with warm reassurance.

She told him about her journey. For years, they'd fought together against enemies in life-or-death situations, so the experiences weren't out of the ordinary, but she'd rarely needed to forge ahead by herself. He knew the dangers of the Makai were vastly more deadly to humans than what they'd trudged through in the wilds of a bygone era, especially for a miko. He couldn't understand how difficult it would have been to travel with her best weapon and form of defense held back for fear of attracting even worse troubles.

She regretted the death and mayhem she'd caused, but the part that made her spirit hurt was how badly the possession had gone. The wild nature of it had been, on some level, exhilarating, even through the pain of the transformation and the agony of forcing it back.

Such overwhelming strength

she could take

maim

_**raze**_ it all to the ground and nothing would have been able to stop her. That kind of power could be addicting, an impossible high.

He understood this joy of the darker side as it was a part of his very being, but it clashed against her nature like nails on a chalkboard. In the most primitive parts of her brain, she might have reveled in the absolute unstoppable force, but she'd heard the screams, known the acrid stink of fear and death.

These deaths that had been unwarranted, innocent lives that had merely been in the way and had paid the ultimate price, _this_ is what weighed so heavily on her mind.

She tried describing, tried unraveling her feelings, tried making sense of it all.

She failed on all counts, but he understood, he nodded, he listened.

"It's alright," he whispered. He brushed his face against the top of her head. "It's alright to feel bad about lives lost." He rubbed her arms to help ward off her shivers. "It's _also_ alright to find joy in the things that feel good, even if they're very bad or wrong. To feel is to be alive." He sighed and pulled away to look at her tear-streaked face. "You had better not beat yourself up over this for very long. Not even you can undo the past."

"Well obviously I _can_ ," she muttered, looking away. "And I did."

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe, but…" he laughed briefly. "I have a few stories to tell you about someone I met along the way, and I think what you understand about time is maybe not the whole picture." He ruffled her hair. "It is still very dark outside, and if your mother knew you weren't resting…" he trailed off.

She snorted a very unladylike sound as she straightened her pajamas. "Wouldn't be the first time I lost sleep over all _this_ ," she waved her hands in the air.

"Alright, alright. You're such a troublesome female," he muttered.

"Anyways," she said, burying her face in his shirt. "What would you know about how my mother might or might now react to me missing out on sleep? I'm an _adult_ , thank-you-very-much."

He huffed once, a hidden smile tucked into her hair that she could not see. "I'm sure she's like every other mother out there, worrying for her children no matter how old they are. Go back to sleep. I'll be here to wake you from the rest of your nightmares if they decide to show up again."

She bit her lip as she hid her face against the fabric. That had been one _hell_ of a wakeup earlier. She wasn't even sure what it had been. What kind of crazy had her brain conjured in the last moments of that nightmare? She didn't dare dwell on it.

He released her and slid to the floor next to her bed as she relaxed against her pillow, his bright green eyes barely visible peeking over the edge at her as she tried to find her sleepiness. He reached over and brushed his fingertips through her bangs and closed his own eyes so she'd have one less thing to stare at. She got the hint, and her lids eventually drifted closed as she fell off into slumber once more.

It was the combination of cheerful chirps from a nesting bird and the hazy blue light of the next morning that woke her. She grimaced at her parched mouth and dry, aching eyes. She was going to drink an entire gallon of water as soon as she could muster the strength to pull herself from her bedding. Her mood brightened when she opened her eyes and found him still sitting at her side, fingers tangled in her hair as he dozed. "Shippo," she whispered.

He cracked an eye open to peek at her. "Feeling better?"

She nodded. "You should probably get introduced to Mama before she discovers you skulking around in her daughter's bedroom."

He snickered. "Yea, because knowing who the stranger is makes the skulking more acceptable."

She rolled her eyes. "She didn't mind Inuyasha standing guard in here on occasion. No doubt you'll get similar rights to the house."

He hummed thoughtfully. "I think she's making breakfast. Want me to saunter downstairs like I own the place or meet you at the front door?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. It was too early for jokes. "Go ahead and saunter. She's pretty handy with a frying pan." She didn’t _really_ think her mother would hit a random person coming downstairs to say hello, but the thought of Shippo being knocked down a peg almost made her laugh.

She eventually trudged downstairs, alone. Shippo promised to get introductions over soon, but he vanished from the house as soon as she left the room to get dressed for the day. She wasn't sure if he actually had stuff to do or if he was avoiding meeting her family. She suspected more of the latter.

Her brother had left for school a few hours earlier, and a simple breakfast was the only thing she found waiting for her in the kitchen. Her mother was out running errands, the healer dozed lightly on the couch, and the house was dead silent except the kettle Kagome had just set to boil on the stove.

She leaned against the kitchen table with a steaming cup of tea and her belated breakfast and stared at nothing, her chopsticks resting limp in her fingers at the edge of her plate. Her thoughts bounced through unpleasant memories, and soon the sound of clattering jerked her back into awareness. Her mother had returned while she hadn't been paying attention, and she placed a small shopping bag on the table with a careful smile at her daughter. Kagome looked down with chagrin to see that her tea had long since cooled and her breakfast remained untouched. She blinked, wondering how much time had passed, then grimaced and dug in anyways.

"Kagome, dear," her mother murmured, stepping to her side with a concerned expression. She touched cool fingertips to her forehead with a frown. "Did you sleep alright? You look pale."

Kagome made a noncommittal sound as she traced a fingertip along the edge of her cup. "I think so, it's just some bad memories. I think…" she paused. "I think I need some time to wrap my head around everything that happened."

"Do you want to talk about it?" her mother asked, leaning close to settle a warm arm over her shoulder.

Kagome smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist to squeeze her close. "Nah, not right now. Some of these stories might give you nightmares," she teased. She felt her conscience running panicked circles in the back of her thoughts, screaming ' _DO NOT TELL HER THAT!_ _'_

She sighed and stuffed a cold clump of rice into her mouth, chewing as she considered a better way to word it so her mother might not worry so much. "Adventuring can be such a mental drain. Some meditation in the sunshine with the peace and quiet here might be all I need to feel better."

Her mother pushed her bangs aside and pressed warm lips to her forehead. "My sweet daughter, such a hero. Go relax. Tell me about it later if you feel up to it. We are so proud that you saved the tree."

Kagome chuckled. "That was such a strange task, s _ave the tree,_ " she laughed. "We won't be able to add that to the shrine history without some clever editing."

Her mother rolled her eyes and patted Kagome on the back before shooing her outdoors.

Those first few days after she came home, life was quiet. Kagome stayed busy, cleaning and repairing her equipment while her brother was at class. The healer and her assistant were in and out frequently, but already her grandfather had shown marked improvement, able to communicate with his family and sit up to take his meals.

Shippo snuck into her room every evening to sit on the floor by her bed, on guard to keep her nightmares at bay. He got better at nudging her out of her dreams before they had a chance to sink teeth into her again. While her sleep wasn't as deep and restful as it could have been, she didn't have any strange recurrence of weird wake-ups in the middle of the night.

"How long do you think I'll be having this problem?" she murmured late one evening.

Shippo hummed in thought as his pencil scratched quietly against the small notebook. "Dunno," he said, glancing up at her. "Maybe the trauma is just too fresh in your mind and you need to really talk about everything to unload the baggage." He tapped his pencil against his lip, staring up at the ceiling. "I never got around to studying therapy so I'm just throwing out guesses, here. In my professional opinion, I'd recommend more cuddles."

She cracked a smile.

"We have some pretty good therapists in the Community, though. They're used to dealing with all kinds of magical people and the problems we encounter outside of the _boring human stuff_. You should probably meet with one and see if it helps."

She nodded and fingered a lock of his hair, staring as it gleamed with various shades of red in the pale moonlight. "Come cuddle, and tell me about this Community you keep mentioning."

He brightened and set aside his notebook, then lunged over her curled figure to land with a quiet thump on the plush bedding. He tucked himself behind her, spooning his taller frame around her blanket with a heavy arm thrown haphazardly over her own to twine their fingers together. He rubbed his face into her hair and sighed in bliss. "Best _day_ _ **ever**_ ," he whispered as she giggled.

As she relaxed into the warmth seeping through the blankets, she murmured, "Okay, start talking. I am sorry if it puts me to sleep, though. I promise that I have never found you boring."

He laughed and squeezed her gently before he began. "A very long time ago, there was this war…" His voice was a quiet rumble against the back of her neck, and the sound of it seemed to creep into her bones, releasing every hidden tension she hadn't noticed before.

She was out like a light.

She did not dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hisako is the younger of two apprentice mikos that Shippo interacted with during book 2.  
> \--  
>  **BEFORE YOU GET INVESTED!!!!** I have at LEAST one three-way draft chapter written. Be aware I plan on a multitude of pairings at various points in the story as it makes sense with the plot, ranging from a variety of M/F and even a possible M/M or two depending on the flow of certain chapters. Those relationships and interactions will not be announced until they actually happen, but this next one I feel I should warn readers about: *** **I will definitely be writing some Kagome/Shippo content as friends with benefits** *** because she's gonna need his help for something specific and he's someone she trusts. If you haven't wrapped your damned head around Shippo being over 500 years old it might be weird. It took me all of book 2 and FOURTEEN YEARS of writing him as an adult to get over that 'yikes' mindset. Go read book 2 and let him grow up already. Walk away from this fic RIGHT NOW if you don't want to read any of the above. PM me and I can add you to a mailing list or something of 'here's where the story is going without any of the smut.' (I won't judge you, promise.) I would love critique as it relates to the quality of my writing or how the plot is coming together, and I will absolutely be thrilled if you catch a typo or bad punctuation so I can fix and make the experience less irritating for others that read (I fucking HATE typos, please save me from myself)
> 
> BUT complaints or suggestions about pairings (?!?!) are gonna get ignored. my story my rules, enjoy the ride.


	3. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little advice can go a long way. Or be completely ignored.

_\- 1970 -_

It didn't take long to set up a small apartment and a cover story. Every day, he stood outside the ancient brick structure, waiting for the final bell to dismiss the students in order to walk his new friend home. "Homeschooling," he explained. Toshi was jealous. He disliked his teachers almost as much as he disliked his dad.

Shippo tried to give ageless advice when it seemed like Toshi would listen (and because his friend was an 'older kid' by one year, he listened more often than he wanted to admit). "Just because you don't agree with the things adults say doesn't mean they're stupid. It just means you have a different opinion."

Toshi scowled. "Dad thinks I should be a priest at the shrine. I won't have time for sports or anything if I have to spend all my time helping him take care of the place."

The walk home from school was a bit over a dozen city blocks with aging sidewalks. There was a single bus stop amongst the scattering of decorative trees that had been planted just a few years prior. It was just enough time to catch up on interesting tidbits of the day and to occasionally get invited over for dinner.

Shippo hummed and kicked a small rock, watching it bounce along the sidewalk and into the grass. "That's a pretty big shrine. Don't you guys have other people working there?"

"Nah, my dad says we can't afford help right now."

Shippo laced his fingers behind his neck and peeked at his young friend as they strolled at an easy pace. The poor kid had a deep-set frown clouding his bright features. Responsibilities mattered, but if there were extra hands to ease some of the burden, it was the least he could do. "Maybe if I help, your dad will let you have some time for soccer?"

Toshi stared at him in confusion. "You'd do that?"

Shippo ducked his head, a little embarrassed. Not many kids threw away their free time helping with someone else's chores just to spend more time with them. "It's no big deal, what, some cleaning and stuff, right? And it gets you onto the field with me! The game just isn't the same without you there."

He rubbed his neck as Toshi kept stealing glances at him, likely trying to read between the lines of such an offer. Yeah, maybe he was being a little too forward. "It's really no big deal. Plus, the longer I have a reason to not go home, the better."

Toshi made a little sound of understanding and slowly nodded. That explanation made perfect sense to the boy who thought so little of his own father.

Shippo pulled his friend into a small shop to buy ice cream. They sat on a bench, side by side, enjoying the treat in companionable silence.

Shippo would never tell Toshi this, but his dad wasn't all that _bad_ , just a bit eccentric. Literally every time he visited the household, there would be another story with ancient origins that somehow related to some small detail or event going on in their lives that day. The apparently endless stories from the shrine archives always had some hilariously inaccurate details thrown in at the worst spots. Toshi would groan in exasperation at yet another tall tale while Shippo asked all the right questions and showed just enough interest to slip right into the favored status of 'acceptable friend'.

He nudged Toshi with an elbow, glancing at him from the corner of one eye. "I used to think my mentors were a bunch of idiots, too."

Toshi smiled and nudged him back. "What changed?"

"I learned that their opinions came from life experiences. Sometimes you have to lose an arm to grow up."

Toshi gasped. "An _arm?_ _"_

Shippo nodded sagely. "One of my mentors lost his _left_ arm, right around here," he made a chopping motion along the upper portion of the limb, indicating how much. He glanced around, very aware that a well-hidden spy could very likely be nearby waiting to relay any belligerence to _The Boss._ His voice dropped to a whisper. "I would _never_ call that one an idiot because he'd skin me alive, but I know that he learned a lot from that experience, and the methods he used to teach his little brother changed a whole lot over those years as he learned to be a better version of himself."

"Wow," Toshi whispered. He stared into the distance, no doubt imagining some strange human rendition of his teacher explaining everything with just one arm. Toshi smirked, "Was he so scary that you'd wanna whisper about him in case he's hiding behind those newspapers?"

Shippo nodded, completely serious. "Anyways, what all that means is _I_ _'d_ rather not lose an arm to learn a lesson, so when a mentor says ' _Do not do things this way_ ' it's probably for a good reason. Except if it's math. Math can't possibly cost someone an arm unless…" He trailed off, thoughtful.

Toshi laughed. "Don't be weird, Shin!"

He took the advice to heart, though, and the next time his dad said something that he'd have complained about, he considered the reasoning behind the words instead of how much he didn't agree with them.

The arguments didn't stop, but there was a marked improvement in communication.

_Small steps._

About a week later, as he slouched against a tree waiting for Toshi's classes to end for the day, he wasn't terribly surprised when a well-dressed male walked up and peered down at him.

"You know, I wasn't actually calling you an idiot," Shippo muttered, slouching further into his spot. They both knew Shippo wouldn't have dared, but he felt like he needed to defend his words, regardless.

Sesshoumaru didn't deign to acknowledge that he'd heard all about Shippo's glossing over of the family history. " _What_ are you doing here?"

Shippo shrugged and glanced up with a youthful smirk. "Being myself."

Sesshoumaru shifted slightly, and only those who knew him well could tell it was a sigh of irritation. "Aren't you worried about the timeline?"

He stood straight and ran slim fingers through his short brown hair as the bell jangled noisily nearby. "Nah, the book made it clear that we couldn't muck it up if we tried."

"Have you ever thought that maybe you shouldn't put so much stock into the scribbled ramblings of some human who might have very well been crazy?"

"That human _knew_ things*, and the more we've learned the more it all makes sense." He grinned as Sesshoumaru barely nodded his head in agreement. Shippo caught sight of Toshi in the distance and waved enthusiastically. "I like this one. I _promise_ I'm keeping my meddling to a minimum _._ "

Sesshoumaru hummed, watching the teens spill from the front doors of the building like a stampede of wild animals. "See that it stays that way. I'd hate to discover things have gone awry because of your fondness for the Higurashi line."

Shippo chuckled a bit ruefully as Sesshoumaru turned to walk away. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to turn back as he gave his response, and Shippo could feel their centuries of experience in the weight of a single word. "Everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Tek, from Book 2, ch 46: Mystic.


	4. The Strange Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Centuries ago, an odd human asked Shippo for a favor that couldn’t be fulfilled until after specific requirements had been met.

"You fell asleep before I'd even finished the setup of the last one!" He whined at her as she carefully fletched a new arrow. "Are you _sure_ you want me to tell you stories?"

She glanced sideways at Shippo with a thoughtful expression as she tested the sharp point of her projectile. He laughed and held out his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I was just kidding! You don't have to shoot me for answers."

She smiled and set aside the arrow for the next one in her stack.

"You know, you could be getting these made for you," he muttered, examining her craftsmanship.

She shrugged. "Can't always have replacements delivered to you in the middle of nowhere."

He nodded, her comment reminding him about another issue he'd nearly forgotten about. "So… there's this thing I promised I'd ask."

His hesitant tone made her look up at him with concern.

"A _really_ long time ago, I met someone kind of odd."

She chuckled. "That describes a _lot_ of people from a really long time ago."

He huffed. "Yeah yeah, but this guy was weird _even by those standards._ He knew stuff. Like, stuff about you, and _time_."

 _This_ caught her attention. Very few people knew of her trips through the well or her origins.

"He wanted me to ask you if you'd come back to see him so that he could get home."

"Okay, that's a _really_ weird request."

"No, no the weird thing is that he knew I wouldn't be seeing you for _hundreds_ of years. He knew…" he paused. "He knew things that we're _still_ trying to understand."

Kagome stared at the arrow in her hand, her mind running in confused circles. "How long after I left did you meet this guy?"

Shippo shrugged. "Ten years, maybe fifteen? I was…" he trailed off, looking sheepish. "Apparently I was _dead_ for a while there, according to that reaper lady. No clue, really."

"And he thinks I'm going to go back and see him?"

"More like he _knows_ you're going to come back to see him."

She hummed in thought. She couldn't imagine waiting years to go back and help someone that needed her assistance to get home. "So I'm supposed to wait ‘ _maybe_ _fifteen_ ’ years and then go to see him, or he expects me to go as soon as you’ve asked me, way before he has a chance to ask you for that favor?" She trailed off. 

Shippo slid closer on the bench to throw an arm around her shoulders. "He never mentioned waiting, just asked for you to come back to see him. Trust me, I've been running mental circles around how the heck it's all supposed to line up for a _long time_."

She banished the timeline madness from her thoughts and leaned into him with a sigh. "Koenma gave me one of their communicators and made it sound like I'd be using it at some point in the past to call him. I wonder if something goes wrong while I'm there." She pulled it from her pocket and turned it around in her fingers. "No one gave me instructions on how this thing is supposed to work, though."

He peeked through her hair and poked at it with a clawed fingertip. "Yeah, I dunno." He sighed. "You're sounding like you've already decided to help him."

She stuffed the device into her pocket and looked up at the recovering Goshinboku. "Aside from weird, what was your impression of him? I'm guessing that if you felt he was dangerous, you probably wouldn't be bringing up his request after so many centuries."

Shippo shook his head. "I couldn't get much of a read on him. He was…" he paused, thinking back. "He was so unlike the other humans at the time, taking ridiculous risks to eventually entice me to come pay him a visit. It seemed so carefully orchestrated. Youko and I knew we were walking right into a trap."

"Was it a trap, though?"

He touched a fingertip to his chin with a smile. "In a manner of speaking, it was. He caught our attention and certainly held my imagination captive. And those _cakes_ ," he closed his eyes in remembered bliss.

Kagome laughed. "Mama makes some pretty tasty desserts. You keep putting off meeting her!"

He groaned. "I will, soon."

"You better! You can't keep sneaking into my room and not expect to eventually get caught!"

"You do realize you're old enough to live on your own…"

"Right, but it's still respecting the household. Besides, I feel like I need to stay here, on the shrine."

"So I can't convince you to let me buy you an apartment in town?" he teased. "Or you can just come stay at my place!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No, it needs to be here." She leaned over and pressed her fingertips into the dirt beneath the bench. Her magic slipped into the ground and spread with a pulse throughout the courtyard, zipping to the edges of the shrine's land to curl up the shimmering barrier of peace that surrounded the entire area.

"You can totally come back and do that whenever, y'know."

Kagome smeared her dirty hand right across his pouting face with a laugh. "There's more to it than that. I feel like I need to be here, that something is…" she touched the device in her pocket and looked at him with determination. "Something is definitely about to happen. I should be here to protect what is mine."

"Then I'll stay to make sure things are safe while you run your errand in the past," he promised.

"You've _gotta_ meet Mama if you're gonna stay. Anyways, I don't think I'm going back anytime soon. If that guy can see the future or whatever, he'll know when I'm on my way."

"You're right. And plus, we have a ton of planning and preparation to do before you can go _anywhere_."

She sighed and pulled back to look at him. "I'm right you'll meet Mama, or I'm right that he'll know?"

Shippo groaned in exasperation. "Both, _geez_ , are you happy, now?"

She grinned as she picked up her next arrow. He helped her with her task as his mind wandered. "Over the years… I've had these weird experiences. Involving you. Sometimes I'd catch your scent on the breeze, or I could see your light out of the corner of my eye. A lot of times I brushed it off as my imagination getting the best of me, but then _that day,_ he vanished just a bit after he asked me to talk to you. I _swear_ you were involved in his disappearance, somehow. There was no mistaking your scent _all over_ the place. Thinking about it now, it's strange that his meeting place is _nowhere_ near here. I can’t imagine you’re gonna pop out of the well and then wander the countryside for over a decade before you get around to helping him. Something must happen between when you get there and the day he leaves."

"But you never saw me again after you left that day?" 

That day, a teenaged Shippo had left her crying in the forest, afraid of what he’d do if he had dared to stay a moment longer. He smiled down at her, amazed at how much and how little things had changed between them. He shook his head. "Not for a lack of trying! He told - _showed_ \- me the next time I'd see you would be at the burning Goshinbuko. Well, _actually_ , he told me the next time I'd meet you would be when you were a baby."

"Wait. You saw me as a…"

"Well, duh. Anyone who _knew_ you would know to be on the lookout for you as a kiddo."

Her eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs as she stared up at him in confusion.

"I just happened to find you _first_. And then I hid you from everyone else." He preened as she stared at him like he'd grown another head.

"What do you mean, you _hid_ me?"

"It _was_ kind of necessary."

She pulled away to get a better look at his face. "Why?"

"Well, you know how the jewel wasn't that big of a deal until that centipede demon pulled you down the well and into the past?"

She nodded, eying him in suspicion.

"It was kind of a big deal before that. Before you were even born. We had to take drastic measures."

"Who is _we?_ " she prodded.

Shippo took a deep breath and peered at her sideways with a sheepish grin. "Everyone."


	5. Aiko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes accidents happen. And sometimes those accidents are totally on purpose because someone likes to meddle.

**-** _1974_ **-**

It was another hot and humid summer afternoon. They'd just finished a delightful game of soccer with some of Toshi's classmates and the two were walking home. Shippo bounced the ball off the top of his head for a few blocks while Toshi laughed and tried to break his concentration. He finally gave up and walked backward in front of his friend as they made their way down the sidewalk, talking about some of the more interesting moments of the match.

As the sun sank lower on the horizon, a welcome rustling in the trees nearby accompanied a strong breeze that ruffled his hair and cooled the skin of his neck. Shippo sighed in pleasure. This break from the boredom (and horrors) of adulting had been a welcome respite. He had treasured these dalliances of youth, regaining some moments of a lost and broken childhood. He glanced ahead and noticed their path was about to get interesting. He couldn't hide his smirk, but Toshi didn't notice as he animatedly motioned with his hands the blocking maneuver he'd used to stop a particularly exciting play that afternoon.

Toshi's careless backward movements led him right into a girl waiting for the bus while holding a stack of books. A muffled curse and a shriek of outrage accompanied her belongings flying everywhere. Shippo could barely contain his glee, but bit his lip to stifle the snickers.

"Shin!" his friend scolded from the ground as he tried to pick himself up off the very angry girl. "Why didn't you tell me I was gonna—!"

Shippo leaned forward and grabbed Toshi's hand to pull him up. "Sorry," he said, a smile on his lips.

"You are not _at all_!"

Shippo shrugged and helped the girl to her feet as well. "Sorry," he told her, a little more seriously. She had scraped her knee. He stooped to start helping her pick up her books when the breeze twisted, pushing her scent in his face like a battering ram. He froze in surprise as the other two knelt to collect the remaining books.

His mind reeled. He knew it would eventually come to pass, but he hadn't really been expecting it _like this_. Toshi nudged his shoulder. "Hey, you ok?" Shippo came back to his senses and stared at his friend in mute surprise before slowly turning his gaze to the girl frowning down at him with a hand outstretched for her belongings.

His jaw may have fallen open, because someone's hand pressed up on his chin, closing his mouth with a small _click_.

He scrambled to his feet, looking between the two teenagers staring at him in confusion.

"Did you hit your head or something? You look kinda weird."

Shippo shook his head and forced down his shock. He'd been around Toshi for too long and had forgotten how to be cautious with his emotions while in his friend's easygoing presence. He tried to excuse away his behavior with flimsy reasons, but he couldn't help staring between the two of them.

"Can I have my books back, please?" the girl asked, clearly annoyed.

Shippo startled, then realized what was still clutched in his hands. He held them out to her with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, _really_."

"Yeah," Toshi scowled. "I'm sorry too. My friend shoulda said something."

"Okay, well, thanks." She turned away from them to look down the street for her bus.

' _Wait, that_ _'s it?_ ' Shippo floundered. "Uh, this is Toshiyuki, and I'm Shin. What's your name?"

Toshi stared at him, scandalized. "What are you _doing_?" he hissed. Not only did he just introduce the two of them to a _girl_ , but he'd handed out their first names like they should be immediately familiar with one another. Shippo had zero care about proper ways to do things around humans, and when they'd been younger, Toshi hadn't even blinked when they'd met.

She looked at him in surprise and then glanced at Toshi, her cheeks turning pink. She didn't seem to care that he'd introduced themselves so familiarly, but she _did_ seem embarrassed for the sake of his friend. "Um," she said, clutching her books against her chest like a shield. "Aiko."

"Aiko-chan!" Shippo crowed, "So happy to meet you!"

And he truly was ecstatic. Every time Kagome came back to them from her time, the scent that clung to her clothes and everything that had been put into her pack by her loving mother was _this girl._

Toshi sighed in absolute exasperation. "Nobody calls me Toshiyuki 'cept my dad. It's just Toshi."

Aiko giggled, and Shippo grinned like a fool, thinking she sounded like wind chimes on the most perfect breezy day.

When the bus finally came around and she left them with a little wave and a blush, Toshi gave Shippo a very stern talking-to about the troubles with girls and how they might do better if they avoided them like the plague.

Shippo nodded solemnly in agreement as they walked the rest of the way to Toshi's, because _of course_ girls were trouble.

And then as soon as Toshi was out of sight, Shippo tracked her scent back to where she lived, found out all of her normal destinations, and eventually figured out her schedule well enough that he could ensure they ran into her often.

"Are you _following_ me?" She demanded one day as she bumped into the two boys _again_ outside the grocery store.

"Nah, just really bad luck," Toshi muttered, frowning at the two bulging bags she could barely see over.

"Can we help you carry those?" Shippo asked, elbowing his friend for being rude.

"I guess." She looked between the two of them with no small measure of suspicion. "Do you even know which way I'm heading?"

"Doesn't matter! We don't have anywhere else to be right now, right Toshi?"

"Kami, Shin, be more obvious about it, will you?"

Shippo put on his best innocent expression. "Obvious about what?"

"Why don't you just ask her out on a date, already, and get it over with?"

Shippo laughed and skipped backwards in surprise. "No, no no, I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Both Toshi and Aiko spoke at the same time.

Shippo cleared his throat and looked askance. "Uh, I don't… um." He heaved a lofty sigh. _Well, shit. Won_ _'t be the first time I've lied for the greater good._ "I don't like girls," he said, turning his nose to the air with a shrug. "At all."

Aiko stared at Shippo for a moment before turning an appraising look to Toshi. "Um, are you two…"

Toshi balked. "What? No! I mean, no, wait… _what_ are you asking?"

"You guys are always with each other. Are you…" she leaned forward to whisper, "a _couple_?"

Shippo laughed. "No, he likes girls just fine."

Toshi put both of his hands over his face and made a sound suspiciously like a growl. "Are we helping you carry your stuff home or not, because I'd like to go ahead and die, now."

Shippo cackled mercilessly.


	6. Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone (almost everyone) finally meets up for their post-mission lunch to get to know each other better (and to give Kurama a chance to redeem his earlier behavior).

She'd been home from her quest for ten days before she called the number Kurama had given her. She felt a little guilty putting it off for so long, but Shippo was right when he told her that the only person she owed her time to was herself.

"I'm not sure why he's trying so hard to apologize, though. His kiss might have saved my life that day. I had some pretty bad injuries."

He shook his head. "You know, kitsune can give energy without kissing. He could have just held your hand and done the same thing. We use the kissing to distract while _stealing_. I bet he didn't know you're special and figured he'd take a chance to get something he wanted before you died."

She cringed. "That definitely deserves some apologies."

Shippo tilted his head next to hers so he could listen in on the conversation.

He wasn't being nosy at his own behest. Kagome wanted to give Kurama a chance to redeem his highly forward behavior earlier by getting to know him better, but she wasn't sure how to act without giving him the wrong impression, and she wanted another experienced kitsune's advice to interpret between the lines. Her very own secret decoder ring.

They agreed to meet at the Yukimura noodle shop, with Kagome quietly excited that she'd be able to finally appreciate the oden she'd wasted last time. Kurama warned her that both Yusuke and Kuwabara were still insistent on coming as well. She was glad that they'd get to meet again under less stressful circumstances.

Shippo helpfully picked out the blandest outfit in her closet with an evil grin.

"This? Really? It makes me look like an old lady."

Shippo laughed. "It does not! I think you could wear a paper bag and he'd still find a reason to salivate."

Kagome turned red. "Yes, because a paper bag would barely cover anything!"

Shippo rolled his eyes. "I mean a really humongous paper bag. The _point_ here is the less cute you're dressed, the more you'll project _your_ general lack of interest. People dress to impress. If you have no one you want to impress, you'll look like it."

"What are _you_ gonna wear?" she asked, looking at him curiously as she paused in the doorway with her outfit tucked under an arm.

He looked thoughtful. "Do you want me to go as a cute older girl? Maybe as a star athlete. Businessman? Professional bodyguard."

She laughed. "Go as yourself."

He gasped in glee, dropping his partial illusion. Five tails unfurled around him as his emerald eyes glittered with mirth.

She shook her head in shared amusement and mild regret. She'd love to cuddle with that much fluff. "Okay, not _that_ much yourself."

He pouted as she skipped out to change.

She returned a few minutes later, feeling frumpy in the shapeless shirt he'd plucked from the back of her closet. He gave an impressed whistle to tease her and she thumped him with one of her pillows. He'd hidden his stripes, ears, and tails, and wore a decently cute outfit that would be sure to draw more than a few glances. "Geez, I think you're trying to impress _everyone_!"

"Only gotta impress one person," he winked.

She hummed in agreement, slipping on a pair of socks and pocketing her wallet and the weird little silver device. Who _knew_ when she'd actually need it?

"New seal?" he reminded her, and she nodded before applying a fresh slip of paper. She didn't think anything bad would happen if one faded while she was away from her supply, but she was cautious about any unnecessary exposure or risks until she'd learned how to control and hide the jewel's presence without the paper aid.

He dropped out her window and bounded to the street before she even made it out of the house.

"Shippo! You've really got to stop doing this. You'll meet them today? Promise me." She glared at him with her hands on her hips.

He looked down at her in silence for a moment. "Alright. I can't deny you this. I promise I'll meet them today, as soon as we get back. First thing." _Might need a box to bury me._

She sighed in relief. It was starting to get weird that he had been so antsy about revealing his presence.

He'd wanted to have a private car bring them to the restaurant, but she'd insisted on the bus. He wasn't sure what the appeal was with the crowds and strangers, but he let her have her way. _This time._ Public transportation dropped them off a few blocks from their destination, so they strolled at an easy pace along the sidewalk.

Before they got close enough to the restaurant to be seen, he pulled her behind a store display for a moment. His eyes unfocused as he stared over her shoulder in the direction they'd been heading. "It looks like they're all at the place together. Why don't you do a quick _and careful_ scan of the area to get a feel for their energies and see if you can pick up anything nearby that we should be concerned about."

She nodded and closed her eyes. Shippo took a quick step back as her magic crept forth, reigned in to a tiny trickle, and swept outward with a little sparkling brush of power. "Still a bit too strong, but we can work on your subtlety this week. Can you see them?"

"Shippo, what's this?" Her hand reached toward his chest.

He stepped back again. Her fingertips were glowing. "Kagome, we can talk about me later when we get home. Look at _them_."

She frowned but refocused. "Yes, I see them. Easygoing, calm. Very bright." Her eyes misted a little, "And very, very good people. They feel _safe_."

"Nothing dangerous or ominous within range?"

She pushed a little farther out, seeking with careful attention before opening her eyes to look at him. She was a little surprised to see he'd backed away from her so far that he'd shoved himself against the brick wall. "Nope, looks like we're safe for now."

He nodded and relaxed. "Now, remember, try to not touch anyone and _definitely_ don't let him touch you. Let's keep him guessing. I'll play interference." He leaned forward and pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing his face across both sides of her neck as she giggled. He ran his fingers through her hair to fluff it once and leave more of his scent buried within the strands. "The fact that my scent is gonna be all over you will make him insanely curious and maybe even a little jealous. We will eat together and visit for a bit, and that's it. I'll make sure we come home without a trail, one way or another."

She nodded in agreement with his plan.

When the building came in sight, she had to slow down to take in the sight of Kurama in a white dress shirt and slim grey slacks, leaning nonchalantly against a wall. His brilliant red hair was loose and flowing in the breeze, and Shippo had to turn around to fetch her. "Stop staring. He has nothing that you haven't seen a thousand times before. Remember? Unbelievably pretty people everywhere you looked?"

She swallowed nervously. "Yeah, but this one is interested in me. It's _different_."

Shippo blinked at her. "Kagome, with literally billions of males in the world, you should not just run with the first one that flirts at you."

"I know…" She grimaced.

"And if you're that horny for eye candy I can flaunt and flirt at you all day long."

She blushed and punched him in the shoulder.

He laughed. "That's gonna be another thing we work on this week, by the way. Your punches are pathetic."

"I'll show you weak!" she yelled, chasing him for the next block with a giggle.

Kurama watched their play through a half-lidded gaze as they approached his position. A smile curved his lips as she stopped a few feet away, her cheeks flushed with pink and breathless from laughter. She discreetly tucked her hands behind her back as though she expected him to reach for her fingertips. He most definitely _had_ considered taking her hand for a kiss to the knuckles. "Kagome," he greeted with a lazy blink. He cut a quick glance to his sort-of cousin* with a curt nod. "Shippo."

Shippo made a small sound that might have been a growl or a hum, depending on how one chose to interpret his tense expression.

Kagome gave Shippo a look and said, "Good afternoon, Kurama. It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise. The others are just inside," he said, standing straight to pull open the door for her to enter ahead of him. "You've met everyone except Yukina. She's the lovely lady standing with Kuwabara."

Yukina blushed and smiled. "It's nice to meet you. The stories I've heard about what happened have been nothing short of amazing."

Kagome wasn't sure how to respond. The only ones that gushed over what she'd done in the past were people that were there and had done equally as much. "Ah, it's nice to meet you too," she replied.

"My apologies, Kagome." She glanced back at Kurama before he continued, "I couldn't reach Hiei, but he rarely joins us for meals or get togethers like this. It's too social for him."

Kagome had assumed Hiei would be hard to invite anywhere there'd be potential for a crowd and managed to smile through her slight disappointment. "Maybe we can convince him to come to the next one," she said.

Yusuke laughed aloud and held up a hand to fend off an angry girlfriend for his outburst in the shop. "Ha, convincing that anti-social hermit to emerge from his hideaway without something to beat up or kill is a mission in itself!"

"Oh, surely he's not that bad," she said before Keiko pulled her to the counter in excitement to place their order.

"Couldn't reach him, or _wouldn_ _'t_?" Shippo muttered only loud enough for Kurama to hear, eying him in suspicion.

Kurama's eyebrow twitched. "Did you _want_ him to spend more time with your favorite person?"

Shippo leaned closer and took a derisive sniff. "Maybe he smells better than _you_ do."

Introductions were passed around. Yukina and Keiko were impressed with Shippo's very _normal_ behavior. He'd spent so much time blending in amongst humans that he could pass as completely average, were it not for his bright red hair and green eyes.

Keiko ushered them to a table next to the big window at the front of the store. "For the view!" she insisted, but everyone knew she meant _for the view_ of people outside to see both Shippo and Kurama and maybe further entice potential customers with some pretty faces. Shippo smiled politely enough, but as soon as she wasn't looking he leaned over Kagome, brushed his fingertips across the window, and dropped an illusion on the glass to muddle the view of their table.

"Here's to a mission we all could walk away from!" Yusuke cheered, holding his glass of soda aloft.

Everyone followed suit, but Shippo grumbled, "Most of us, at least."

Yusuke had the sense to look a little sheepish. "Sorry, man, I didn't think. I'm used to celebrating our team making it through missions. Too many have ended with one or more of us on a stretcher."

Kagome squeezed Shippo's arm with a sad smile.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah don't stress about it, no big deal."

"We for sure hafta celebrate no new requests from the Reikai. Toddler has been suspiciously quiet since we got dismissed from that mission!"

"Yeah that's really weird, but I ain't gonna complain." Kuwabara smiled down at the girl by his side. Yukina beamed up at him with sparkling claret eyes.

"It can't last forever. Next month has a Friday the 13th on the same day as some stupid eclipse. We are bound to get called in for a villain trying to open some inter-dimensional portal, an alien invasion, or the zombie apocalypse."

Kuwabara punched Yusuke in the shoulder. "Man, don't jinx us!"

Keiko rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's behavior as he rubbed away the sting. She turned to the group with a huge grin. "It's going to be a total solar eclipse, and we're right in the path for the best viewing! Hotels in the area are already booked solid. Business is going to be _amazing_! We even have a display under the counter for people to borrow protective eye-wear during the event."

Kagome leaned forward with a look of interest. "This is not the first time you've called your boss 'toddler'. What's the deal with that?"

Yusuke laughed. "So, Koenma…" he snickered, "When he gets in trouble with his pops, he'd get somehow transformed into this tiny kid form as punishment. When I first met him he was in the middle of such a stint as a toddler, and it seemed pretty normal with all the weird shit I'd seen until he got done with his punishment and could appear his actual age. Like night and day. I like teasing him about it, though. Pisses him off to no end to get constant reminders of that shame."

"Wow," she said.

"I _know_ , it's crazy!" He laughed again.

"No, I mean, wow, that's really rude of you," she frowned, leaning back in her chair.

Yusuke's mouth snapped shut and his face turned red. Kuwabara chuckled and slapped him on the back. "Yusuke, have you ever thought about how much more pleasant life would be if you were just a bit nicer?"

He grumbled and poked at his food with a scowl as conversation shifted to the more mundane details of the shop and stories behind the family recipes. A plate bumped his hand, and he glanced up to see Kagome pushing a small tray of sweet pastries with an apologetic smile on her face. He huffed and snagged one of the small bites with a nod of acceptance. Maybe he could _try_ to be a bit nicer. Maybe.

He reached across Keiko to grab a napkin and did a double-take, his attention riveted to Kurama's mouth. "Uh, dude, are you wearing lip gloss?"

Kurama briefly pressed his lips together and flicked a lock of his hair over a shoulder. "I felt it necessary to wear balm today, given the current dryness in the air."

Kuwabara openly stared. "But it has _sparkles_."

"Indeed. It also," he passed he tip of his tongue along the edge of his lower lip, sliding his glance in Kagome's direction, "tastes quite nice."

Shippo groaned and pressed his face into a palm as Kagome giggled behind her hand.

She eventually turned her smile from Kurama's less-than-subtle attempts to keep her attention and looked to Yusuke with a change in subject. "So, what kinds of missions does your team normally do?"

"Eh, the usual. Rescuing humans, retrieving powerful artifacts, taking out the bad guys, saving the world." Yusuke worded it like it was no big deal, but Kagome could see him casually peeking to gauge her reaction.

"Ah, yes. That _is_ the usual," she laughed, nodding sagely.

"Sounds just like what we used to do," Shippo said just before he stuffed a too-large clump of noodles between his lips. The mouthful vanished faster than was humanly possible. "Rescuing people, retrieving powerful artifacts, taking out the bad guys, saving the world."

Kagome elbowed him with a look.

"What?" he laughed.

"Don't be rude," she whispered.

"No way you guys were doing something like that, too. We've had our hands in every major catastrophe on this side of the world for years, now."

"It was a while back, and wasn't around here," Shippo said, shrugging.

"Forgive my blunt observation, but," Kurama leaned forward over the table to drop his voice, "While I was removing the vine, I noticed you have a lot of scarring."

She stared at him with wide eyes. She'd forgotten he'd had a close look at some of her old injuries. She didn't even know what some of those scars looked like.

"Battle scars," Shippo bragged, throwing an arm around her.

Kurama's eyes narrowed in accusation. "You've taken terrible care of someone you consider so highly."

"She doesn't want to be put on a pedestal and protected from the world. She likes to get her hands dirty, too, or have you forgotten that she took off through Makai to solve her quest, _alone_?"

"She's sitting _right here,_ " she glared.

"You have scars from _battle?_ " Keiko gaped.

Kagome ducked her head, a little embarrassed. "I'm an archer. I try to stay out of the way, but sometimes the enemy would make it through our defenses or I made a stupid mistake."

"That's really amazing," Yukina whispered, reaching out to briefly touch her cool fingertips to the back of Kagome's wrist.

Keiko leaned forward, her eyes lit with excitement. "You've gotta tell us some of your stories! There aren't many girls kicking ass around these parts! Well, there are a few but they're all kinda scary and I would be terrified to ask them for the time of day let alone anything else."

Yusuke stared at his girlfriend with open admiration. "I love it when you use bad words."

Kurama rest his chin on his open palm, watching the girl as she laughed and talked with his friends. He didn't need to look to know his little cousin was staring daggers at him. He couldn't understand why his scent curled off her like they'd been attached at the hip every moment of the day, especially if they hardly touched while sitting beside one another at the table. If they were lovers, little signals would be present. Fingertips, smiles, nudges, looks. There were suspiciously few such signals. But his _scent_. Maybe he had marked her without telling her what he was doing in order to warn off others while he worked on his chances.

But that made no sense, either. It would have had to be suspiciously odd behavior to get _that_ much… He barely repressed a sigh. The speculation was driving him insane. "Kagome, how has your time at home been since we left the Makai behind?"

Her expression shuttered. "Um, it's been alright. Quiet. Normal. Some nightmares at first, but they've gotten better." She smiled at Shippo, there. Kurama briefly clenched his jaw while her attention was directed elsewhere.

"Nightmares? Yes, I can imagine those might be a problem. Would you like a tea blend that disrupts REM cycles to help attain dreamless sleep?"

She brightened with interest. "Oh, that would be wonderful! I think my magic acts up with some of the worst of them and I don't want to accidentally hurt someone before I can work out the problems plaguing my mind."

Kurama nodded in understanding. "I'll get right on it. If you can get me your address before we leave, I can have it delivered."

Shippo leaned forward to block his view. " _Or_ , you can just call when it's ready and I can come pick it up."

"So, tell me about _the colors_." Kuwabara interrupted as he leaned across the table, his eyebrows lifted high in interest.

Kagome turned to look at him. "Colors? What do you mean?"

"Okay okay, hear me out. Right now it's kinda muddy and dim, but when we were in the thick of things, you looked like a rainbow! Blinding!"

Kagome stared, unsure of how to respond. "My miko-ki?"

"No. Yes? No. I dunno." He looked around the table, but no one seemed to know what he was talking about. "C'mon, Kurama, surely you got a taste of what I saw. Don't you have any input?"

Kurama sighed. "She was very injured during most of our time there, and so no, I did not _get a taste of anything_. To do so at that time would have put her in further danger. I could do so _now_ to…"

"Eh," Kagome hedged as Shippo firmly said, "No."

"Sorry Kurama, it'll probably hurt you."

Shippo nodded in agreement. "Last time I saw a kitsune try that against her magic they nearly melted."

"Oh?" Kagome turned to him, curious.

"Yeah, it could have been really bad. I'll tell you more about it later."

Kurama frowned in concern. "If a kitsune tried taking her magic and nearly melted, wouldn't she know about it already?"

"I didn't say it was taken _from her_." He tilted his head and gave Kurama an arrogant look of superiority.

The rest of the table stared at him before a few overlapping questions bombarded him. "Then from who?" "But you're a…" "Wait a sec…"

"I'm _special_. More soda?"

Kurama stared. Just a few weeks ago, he'd seen the impossible as his little cousin directly manipulated the girl's magic that saturated the god tree, which had been ridiculously potent and fully capable of killing any youkai in the vicinity had it spread out of control. It made zero sense that he could have done such a thing, unless…

He gave him an appraising look. It wasn't possible. He'd _never_ heard of a youkai mating with a miko or vice versa, and he was certain these two were _not_ connected as life partners in such a way.

Centuries ago, back when actual practicing mikos had been more common, they'd more readily shoot you than fuck you, let alone keep you around as a permanent lover.

Once she'd been separated from her possession, there was no detectable trace of kitsune magic within her. Had that possession been responsible for sharing her magic with him?

He stood and gave Kuwabara a look. "We'll go get more drinks for the table. More of the same?" Nods around the table, and a suspicious glance from his little cousin. Kuwabara squeezed Yukina's hand as he stood, a blush on his cheeks. Kurama wasn't sure if he wanted to be irritated or jealous at how ridiculously in love the human had become. Hadn't happened to him yet in either of his long lives, and it seemed both a sweet blessing and the ultimate curse, brought low and helpless to someone's whims by fluttering eyelashes.

~Yes, but the _sex_. I'm starved for it lately, you cruel, cruel man.~

Most of their lunch had been blessedly silent, without constant commentary from the lonely kitsune soul curled within him as they both quietly observed the group's interactions.

He tugged the taller human over to the counter and ducked his face so that his cousin couldn't see what he was saying. "I think you might be able to help me understand what's going on."

"Okay?"

"Her colors are harder to see, today?"

Kuwabara nodded.

"Is there anything obvious in her aura, like a bracelet hiding the magic?" She'd used a bracelet to disguise her true nature for much of the previous year, so it stood to reason she'd have another such trick available.

He peeked over at Kagome and squinted for a moment, looking for any clues. "Nah. It used to be brightest in the center, but now it's darkest in the center. Kinda weird it's gone all opposite. And look, this is really hard to explain, but there's … layers."

Kurama stared at him, barely patient for any additional information his enhanced spiritual sight might provide.

"The rainbow colors are dim, but whatever that pink purity is that she used to put out all those fires on the tree, _that_ _'s_ still a normal brightness. It's like the pink is her, and the rainbow is… something else. Something that came out very brightly when there was danger, but is somehow suppressed now."

~Two different power sources? Surely not _another_ possession, more likely she has access to someone or something else's magic.~

' _Or perhaps a very powerful spell of protection._ '

~We could answer quite a few of these questions with a taste.~

"What about my cousin, can you take a look at his energies?"

Kuwabara's eyebrows rose. "Sure." He paused, peeking over Kurama's shoulder a few times, squinting and thoughtful. "Layers there, too. Almost like a rainbow."

"A rainbow? Like Kagome's?"

"Nah, not as colorful or bright." He put a hand to his chin, thinking. "I'd need to have him sit next to other types of youkai to be sure what it is he's made of, but it's more than one element, that's for sure."

"Check if you can see her magic in him somehow."

"Yeah, yeah that's definitely there. A bright pink just like hers, right around his heart."

"Does she have any of his?"

He shook his head. "Nothing obvious, but with her it's hard to tell because his colors are all over the place and hers is just so _bright_."

"One last question. I know you've seen the red string of fate before. Do they have one?"

Kuwabara's eyes widened as he stared at Kurama. His attention slid to the right as his gaze flicked over their hands in motion. "I'm not sure. I'll need to get closer to check, but I can't see anything from here."

"I truly appreciate your insight. I'm interested in Kagome, but I don't want to intrude on a relationship if she's meant for someone else."

Kuwabara gave him a wide smile. "No problem, man. But you _do_ know that, even if a red string points at someone else, sometimes love needs a nudge from outside forces to get moving in the right direction. Maybe you should just be yourself instead of being careful."

Kurama laughed lightly. "Being myself may have nearly ruined my chances with her."

They ordered the drink refills. "I dunno, man. She's looked at you more than a few times today. You probably left some good impressions even if she's a little nervous."

~Surprisingly quality advice from the human.~

' _The human with experience in love._ '

Kurama smiled at his friend. "I will take your words to heart. Thank you."

He balanced the tray of drinks with ease on one hand as they walked together back to the table. He earned a few impressed glances as he handed glasses to their owners, but nothing more than a simple _thank you_ from the girl he wanted to impress. He slid back into his seat with a thoughtful expression before picking up his paper napkin.

A tiny folded paper vase slid across the table toward her, drawing her attention from Yusuke's laughter as Kuwabara tried to tell the story of the time they'd fallen into a sewer while chasing a suspect from the scene of a crime.

He flourished a small pink flower between his fingertips and tucked it into the paper container with a wink and nudged it closer for her to see. She smiled brightly, and he didn't miss the short glance she sent in Shippo's direction, nor did he miss his subtle nod before she reached out with careful fingers to take the folded creation.

Kurama leaned back in his chair, content with himself and the progress from their lunch. He joined in with embarrassing stories for the next hour until Keiko needed to leave, and then the group paid their bill and said their farewells.

"Kagome, I would very much like to continue seeing you." Shippo stood a short distance away, giving them some space but not quite enough for him to safely abscond with her. He did his best to keep his attention focused on the girl before him and _not_ his little cousin glaring balefully at him.

"I don't want to string you along with false hopes, Kurama. What are your intentions?"

~Hm, straightforward.~

"I'd like to get to know you better," he said casually before he leaned forward and added on, "inside and outside."

She blushed but held her ground. "I'm not sure if I'm flattered or worried. Why me?"

"You are a delightful mystery. First, with the exotic plant in your possession, then the strangeness of your existence, so many conflicting details… And when I thought it couldn't get any more interesting, you had such a fascinating response to my magic."

He paused, his teeth catching his lip as his memories obviously flashed back to the moment he'd held her in his arms and plied her with magic that had made her knees weak and her toes curl. Or maybe that was the kiss. She wasn't sure which, but the memory of his tongue curling against hers was making her mouth water.

He continued, perfectly aware of her reaction to nothing more than a memory. "Stronger than you appear, with life experiences behind each one of those scars. You are very appealing to my nature." He paused and brought a fingertip to his lips, smoothing a fresh smear of that idiotic sparkly gloss along the lower lip, watching as her eyes were drawn to the motion. He touched the tip of his tongue to that fingertip before continuing, "I want another taste one day, but I'd prefer it to be on your terms."

She blushed harder. "Um, yes. On my terms would be better, next time." She snapped her mouth shut in dismay as he gave her a wicked smirk.

He tilted his head with a small wave of his hand. "Today was a pleasure. You'll call?"

She nodded, mute, as Shippo swept in with a scowl to drag her away down the street.

"You're hopeless!" Shippo hissed at her as they turned a corner.

Kurama shook his head with a brief chuckle. This would be an interesting chase.

"Kurama."

He turned to look back at Kuwabara, who stood a short distance away holding Yukina's hand. Kurama wasn't sure whether his expression was confused or grim. Perhaps a little of both.

"Her string is _broken_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In book 2, the story mentions that while Youko was still very young, he was adopted by an older silver male that had mated with Shippo's maternal cousin. This makes the two very slightly related.


	7. A Growing Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shippo swears he didn't meddle, _this time_.

\- _1982_ -

"We have a very big problem."

Sesshoumaru slowly set down his book and turned a blazing golden gaze upon the kitsune looming in the doorway. "What did you do?"

Shippo put his hands on his hips and scowled. "This is _not_ due to meddling. This is something I didn't…" he paused, took a deep breath, and started over. "The mystic implied the next time I'd meet Kagome would be when she's a baby, probably on the day she's born. He said something about her magic causing problems, but it _already_ is. Toshi and Aiko conceived _literally yesterday_ and I can tell it's going to be her. Aiko _glows_."

Sesshoumaru steepled his fingers. "Yes, this was an eventuality I had considered, although I must admit I'd assumed it would be in her youth and _not_ in the womb." He pulled open the top drawer of his desk and withdrew a small wooden box. "These were meant for Kagome, but one should suffice for her mother."

Shippo's mouth fell open. "You had already planned to meddle after giving me such a hard time?"

"There's a difference between your variety of meddling for amusement and my _planning_ for the future."

Shippo rolled his eyes as he reached out to pick up the little box. A delicate silver chain rest within, curled around a fluff of fine silk. "This was to be for Kagome? You know, young children usually don't do well with jewelry."

Sesshoumaru briefly glanced at the box in Shippo's hands before staring expectantly at him in silence.

Shippo cocked an eyebrow and picked up the jewelry and silk to reveal a tiny square of paper printed with absolutely miniscule writing. "Is this a…"

"Fifteen years, from the day she is born. Make sure it goes here," he tapped the crescent moon marking in the center of his forehead.

Shippo laughed. "You planned _extra_ meddling! Sesshoumaru, you trouble-maker!"

"Problem-fixer. Go." Sesshoumaru frowned as the kitsune snapped off a sarcastic salute and whirled with a flourish before vanishing from his sight. Shippo may have not seen his human for centuries, but that did not mean she'd been completely out of reach.

She'd had her fingers in more events than he'd imagined possible, and he refused to be surprised by her appearances anymore. He pulled open the drawer again and stared down at the dozens of other items he'd accumulated _just in case Kagome happened_. He brushed a fingertip along a pair of grey silk gloves, still spotted with old blood and torn along one seam.

Were his problems _now_ because she'd meddled in the past? Or were their problems in the past because they meddled _now?_

No one was within earshot to hear his sigh of irritation as he slid the drawer shut—hopefully for the final time—before he returned to his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this is the shortest chapter I have for this book, so far. Also, this is _probably_ the last pre-Kagome chapter unless something pops up.)


	8. Photographs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome introduces Shippo to her mother, only to discover they’re already well acquainted and Mama’s pretty mad about something...

They walked together in silence up the stairs to the shrine. Kagome glanced at Shippo and murmured _very_ quietly, "Is everything okay? You've been pretty tense since we left the restaurant. I can't sense anything nearby, and you're making me nervous."

He nodded a bit stiffly. "Just something on my mind."

She grinned mischievously. "You worried about meeting Mama? I promise I won't tell her you've been sleeping with me."

Shippo barked a sudden laugh and turned pink. "Kami, she'd really murder me, then," he muttered, looking away at the shadows between the trees lining the worn stone steps.

They found her mother and brother standing near the Goshinboku, bent over a half-assembled wooden stall they used to sell trinkets during festivals.

"Mama, Souta, I'd like you to meet Shippo, one of my oldest friends."

Souta leaned closer and pointed a thumb behind him in the general direction of the shuttered well before asking, "Like _oldest_ oldest?"

Kagome smiled and nodded.

Shippo surprised them all when he took her mother's hand between his own and bowed. "Aiko-chan, I'm so very sorry for your loss."

Kagome and her mother stared at Shippo in confusion, but then her mother reached out to tilt Shippo's face up. She looked it over carefully as a furrow formed between her eyebrows. "Shin?" she whispered. Both of her hands clapped over her mouth as she gasped.

Shippo stood straight, looking down at her with an expression of regret. He didn't even flinch as she slapped him square on the cheek, the sharp sound ringing across the dead silent shrine grounds. Her lip trembled as they stared at each other. He only glanced away when Kagome reached out for his sleeve, hundreds of questions in her eyes. He knelt at her mother's feet and pressed his forehead to the first hand he could grab. "I couldn't stay, Aiko-chan. I _couldn_ _'t_."

Aiko had dealt with a lot of nonsense over the years of raising her children as a single parent. She collected herself quickly and swallowed back her angry words as she stared down at the head bowed over her shaking fingers. She'd known this man—or at least she _thought_ she did—for years. He'd been a solid fixture in her life for as long as she'd known her husband. She had trusted him to be there, their laughing sunshine, the trickster that knew the most ridiculous stories to make them laugh until they cried, the only one who could keep Toshi's father from driving them all insane.

He could cook, loved to clean, and rarely seemed to sleep. She'd trusted him with her young daughter more times than she could count. And then when Toshi had died… when they'd needed him the most…

Her silence pressed on, weighing heavily in the air, and she saw his shoulders hunch and tremble. Her free hand lifted slowly and dropped on top of his shining red hair.

"Kami, you're such an _idiot_." She yanked him up by his collar and dragged him into a hug before bursting into tears.

Kagome and Souta exchanged a worried glance as Shippo held their mother and patted her on the back. He tried to give Kagome an apologetic smile, but she was shocked to see his eyes wet with tears. Aiko pulled back after a moment, wiping at her face with a shaking hand. She swallowed thickly and stared at him in disbelief. She sighed and glanced briefly at her daughter, understanding slowing creeping in. "I wish you'd said something. _Anything_. You just…" she trailed off, unsure what to say.

He watched her with shimmering eyes, knowing how much she'd suffered in his absence. He may have disappeared from her life, but he'd never gone far. He'd known Toshi wouldn't live to see the day his daughter fell down the well, but he hadn't realized how soon it would come to pass. The trio of friends had been too close, and he was terrified he'd make a mistake in their shared grief. "I was selfish and afraid of hurting you more. I couldn't stay."

He'd fled like a coward.

"You betrayed our family and my trust." His head bowed at her truth. "I was angry. I still am." She took a deep breath. "But, I have room in my heart for forgiveness, if you can find enough braincells to explain yourself better than that." He peek up at her as Aiko sighed and held him at arm's length, looking him over. "You haven't aged a day." She briefly fingered his red bangs. "Is this your true hair color? I always thought the brown looked so out of place."

Shippo shrugged. "There's more." He glanced at Kagome, who nodded that the coast was clear. He dropped his illusions, allowing his tails to unfurl as the markings on his hands and face shimmered into view. Souta whistled in appreciation as Shippo cautiously smirked, flashing a set of fangs.

Aiko stood straight and turned her gaze to the sky as she took a deep breath, sounding more composed as her expression cleared. "Goodness, look at the lot of us." She sniffled one last time before putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders with a weak but genuine smile. "Let's go inside and have some tea. There's much to discuss."

Shippo dared to look hopeful. "Chamomile?"

Kagome's mother pulled her children toward the house and beamed back at the trailing kitsune. "I keep a box for you in the cabinet, just in case you ever came home."

Kagome turned to briefly meet Shippo's eyes before allowing her mother to tug her inside. He swallowed nervously. He couldn't remember the last time she'd looked quite so pissed. _Especially_ at him. He'd have a lot of explaining to do.

"Shin," Aiko began, then looked at him with a puzzled frown. "Shippo, I mean, was your father's best friend. We were all friends, for years."

His tails hidden once more for the sake of them crowding around the family table, Shippo curled his hands around a steaming cup of chamomile tea and slumped in bliss.

In the center of the table, she opened an old photo album that they'd seen dozens of times. "This is your father, here with just me," she tapped the edge of a photo of the two of them sitting close beneath the Goshinboku. Next to it was another that seemed to be from the same day, showing her father with his arm around a male with brown hair. "And here he is again with Shin." Kagome peered down at the yellowed photograph.

The teenage boys were roughly the same height, and her father had darker hair and a bit of a scowl on his handsome face. She looked closer at the teenager standing with him and recognized features in his face. "Oh Kami, that really _is_ you. What in the world were you doing?"

"Well…" he started. "I was originally just checking in every so often to make sure things were going alright. I didn't know what year I was waiting for. I had some guesses as time passed. The coloring sticks you'd bring me, or the candies and snacks." He laughed at an old memory. "I got a few funny looks the first time I ripped open a box of colors in the middle of a store to stick my nose in its contents."

Kagome bit her lip to stifle the giggles as she turned through more pages in the photo album, looking through the old images of her father and his friends.

"The human realm with its little trinkets and comfort snacks started to feel familiar. But then I met your dad one day and felt like sticking around. It was just a nice way to pass the time until the day we met Aiko. Then I knew I _couldn_ _'t_ leave, because the jewel and all the trouble it invited didn't just manifest on the day you turned fifteen."

Kagome nodded. "I know I was born with it, but…"

" _Before_ then. I knew the day you were on your way because Aiko started glowing."

"No way."

Shippo smiled mirthlessly. "I was incredibly thankful for that barrier keeping most of the magical creatures out of the realm, otherwise we'd have had _troubles_."

He reached out for the photo album and carefully flipped forward a page, staring down at the images with a nostalgic grin. He laughed a little. "I ended up spending more of my life with Toshi than I did with you, Kagome. Our adventures weren't half as dangerous, though." He stopped at a picture of Aiko, beaming and round with her first pregnancy. He pointed down at the hand over her belly, where the smudge of a line indicated she wore something around her wrist.

"That bracelet was the key to keeping you all safe."

Aiko smiled at the memory. "Was it from you?"

Shippo shook his head. "Sesshoumaru's idea. I just passed it along to Toshi with a believable story."

“Does Mama know Sesshoumaru, too?”

Shippo smirked. “He made great efforts to remain anonymous.”

"Toshi sounded crazy when he gave it to me before we even knew we were going to have you. He asked me to wear it until after our first child was born, something about it being a good luck charm. I knew how excited he was about being a dad, so I humored him, and wore it through _both_ pregnancies. It was thankfully a cute bracelet. I think I might have been harder to convince if it had been something weird."

The next few images were of Aiko in the hospital: walking carefully down an empty hall lined with windows, grimacing in a birthing room, then finally her tear-stained face staring down at a tiny, wrinkled human with a tuft of dark hair tucked into her arms.

Shippo laughed as he looked down at the old memories. "I was there on the day you were born. There was a minor commotion when the doctor pulled you out of your mom. An _earthquake_ they claimed, but it was just one of those ' _first cry from a magical creature_ _'_ kinds of things. I know a few people that would have killed to be present in the room that day to collect some of that energy." They all stared at him as he waved his hands in defense. "It sounds weird but there's a _lot_ of random that goes on with magical folk. Anyways, I'd warded the room when the time grew close, and had a tiny spell ready to save you from fifteen years of trouble."

Aiko turned another page in the photo album and tapped on a heavily wrinkled picture taken from a strange angle. "This was Shin's boyfriend that he brought with him for some visits."

Shippo blushed. "Uh, yeah. Berke.” He shook his head with a short laugh. “I remember the struggle to hold on to this photo when I showed him the set. He was really insistent on keeping it.” He looked at Aiko with a small smile. “He asks about you often. I'll be sure to send him this way again. Now that Kagome's back, it should be safe enough."

Kagome laughed. "You had a boyfriend?"

"Well, he's been a good friend for a few hundred years, and he's a boy, and _stuff_. I suppose that counts for something. He was also my cover story for why I wouldn't date anyone _they_ kept trying to hook me up with." He nodded at Aiko with a sheepish grin. "He's pretty handy with plants and helped build the little garden out back where you guys have your herbs."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "I _knew_ it. There was no way those plants should have survived what we put them through unless magic had been involved."

On another page, she was struck by the strangeness of seeing Shippo holding her as a toddler with a look of tenderness on his face. She laughed and pointed to the image. "I have one like this upstairs with you as a little kit."

He seemed embarrassed. "I didn't mean to get so involved, but I couldn't help myself to have more time with you before things got tough."

Her mother took their empty cups to the sink as Souta flipped to the next set of pictures. Kagome stared down at a strangely familiar image of herself at a birthday party. Her mother and father were there, and she was making a scrunched face at her disguised friend kneeling beside her as he pretended to blow out the candles on her cake. Odd little memories like this one were at the edge of her mind, hovering just out of reach.

Her mother frowned as she returned to the table. "The last time I saw Shin was just before Toshi's funeral."

Shippo grimaced. "I knew I'd have to leave before Kagome got much older. It would have been dangerous if she could remember me, but then Toshi…" he choked off the sentence with a swallow. "It hurt too much. I knew you were in pain, but it was too great of a risk to stay and ease our hearts together if I'd need to leave so soon. I didn't want to break your heart all over again."

"I could never understand why Kagome didn't cry over your disappearance."

"She was still very young, and I have a lot of kitsune magic tricks," he muttered. "Sesshoumaru-sama loved to remind me that I'd eventually have to pay for my behavior."

Kagome still stared down at the photo of the birthday party. It had been a week before her father had died in the car wreck. She whispered, "I fell out of a tree."

Aiko looked at her daughter in concern. "When?"

"A little bit before…" Kagome stopped herself from saying it. "Ah, a little bit after this photo was taken, I think. I fell out of a tree and broke my arm."

Her mother seemed confused. "You never broke any bones when you were young, Kagome."

"I did, though." She turned and looked at Shippo, wondering how much of her memory was real or imagined.

"Oh," he muttered, drumming his fingers on the table. "I didn't think you'd remember that."

Her birthday had been just days prior. Toshi and Aiko had taken the day for themselves, leaving Kagome in his care while they did _adult_ stuff. Shippo had rolled his eyes, but reveled in any opportunity to whisk Kagome away from the house to hang out and watch her grow. Every moment of her childhood that he'd witnessed had gone into his tiny books as notes, stories, and sketches about his favorite person's formative years. He'd add them to the archives soon enough, but for now, he observed, laughed, played, and relaxed.

…Until she fell from that branch with a tiny shout of surprise and an unpleasant crunch.

They both stared down at the oddly bent injury in shock.

Shippo silently cursed. It had been his idea to climb the low-hanging limbs, and she'd been having so much fun he hadn't thought of the danger. _Reckless._

"Kiss it better?" Kagome held out her arm.

Shippo blinked at her wide-eyed expression as tears began to prick at the corners of her lashes. He glanced around to ensure no one was in view. He'd done this for little scrapes and bumps, harmless fixes with a tweak of his magic.

This one was not quite as small.

Not quite as harmless.

"Only because you're my favorite," he muttered, cradling her little limb in his hands.

"I'm your only," she reminded him.

"Same thing," he shrugged, pressing his lips gently to the skin above the break. His magic swelled forth and slipped into her arm, and he paused, breathless as he hovered over the injury to watch the magic bounce between the torn flesh and broken bones, pulling things back into order as it soaked into her limb. She giggled and sighed in relief as he released her arm, good as new.

He shook his head in disbelief. " _Please_ do not tell your mama you fell out of a tree. She will break _my_ arm for sure!"

And then Toshi had died just a few days later, and her big fall from the tree became a tiny shadow beneath the wall of grief.

He stared at her, wondering if he should have—or _could_ have—made different choices.

The sound of quiet murmuring and uncertain footsteps in the hallway drew everyone's attention. The healer stepped into view with a triumphant smile at the two following behind: her assistant tucked under the arm of a slowly shuffling Grandpa.

Aiko stood with her hands over her mouth, tears springing to her eyes again.

Kagome cheered as Souta jumped up with a huge grin. "You're walking!"

The healer pulled Kagome and her mother aside with a list of instructions they should follow to help him recover his strength. Kagome could not adequately express her thanks. "Child, you have done enough for the realms to deserve this a few times over. Try to not get yourself killed in the line of duty, alright?" A wrinkled hand settled on her hair with a gentle pat.

Kagome and her mother watched as Grandpa shuffled toward the kitchen table, squinting in disbelief at Shippo. "Huh. You aren't dead?" A knobby, wrinkled finger wobbled forth and poked Shippo in the chest, probably checking to see if he were truly sitting there or only an apparition. He hummed in thought, looking him over with a critical gaze. "I could have sworn..."

Aiko exchanged a wary glance with the healer before looking at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Grandpa eased himself into a chair. "The shrine collections. I thought this one must have died right around the time Toshi passed, because some poltergeist kept shelving all the books and scrolls I left out, and I've only ever had one such reliable assistant." He turned an accusing stare at the others in the room. "Well, it's good to see you alive, m'boy. Everything is probably a dusty mess with all the time I had to spend in that blasted bed."

Shippo blushed. "Ah, actually, I've had spare time. It's already done."

Grandpa nodded, completely unsurprised. "See? Reliable."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was rough. I’m sure it needs further contemplations, but not _this year_. :)
> 
> PS: Grandpa loves his “assistant” Shin too much to ever throw sutras at him. Probably.


	9. The Pair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old stories, current worries, and a bit of new stuff.

"I hope you don't mind, Mama, but Shippo's going to be staying a while."

Shippo’s mouth fell open in mild horror. "Uh, what she _means_ is that, with your permission, I'd like to stay and help keep the shrine and your daughter safe."

"Oh, continue doing what you've already been doing?" Aiko asked, one eyebrow raised. "Everyone in the household could hear you speaking with someone at night, Kagome. It wasn't a very well kept secret with these paper-thin walls."

The two exchanged a glance.

"I'm a little disappointed it took this long to be mentioned," she murmured, peering down into her empty cup with a little frown.

Kagome glared at Shippo, who ducked his head in mild embarrassment.

"And I now know _why_ it took so long. Kagome, you know where the extra bedding is kept." Her mother left the room to start another kettle for tea.

"Thank you, Aiko-chan!" Shippo called after her.

"It's so strange that you call her that," Kagome whispered.

He whispered back, "You want me to start calling her Mama, too?"

Kagome thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "That might give her the wrong impression."

It was a little weird to head to her room that night with Shippo walking up the stairs behind her. She reminded herself that they weren't _doing_ anything, but it didn't help ease the sudden tension creeping along her shoulders.

He leaned closer and spoke very quietly. "I can sneak in the window if it'll make you feel better."

"Am I being that obvious?"

He laughed lightly. "Only to me. No one else can see you hunching your shoulders like you're trying to collapse your head into your neck." He opened her door and slipped in first. "Here's your pajamas. Go get ready for sleep."

She came back to find he'd already changed and lounged along the far edge of her bed. He held his little booklet between three fingers as the tiny pencil flew quietly across the paper. He'd materialized a completely unnecessary pair of reading glasses to perch at the end of his nose, which he peered over with a critical look as she hesitated in the doorway.

"You act like something has changed when everything is still the same. You need your sleep. I will wake you before any nightmares arrive. There will be cuddling once you stop over-thinking."

"Shippo," she said, feeling suddenly awkward. "Don't you have," she paused, collecting her thoughts. "Don't you have a life? Someone to go home to?" She bit her lip and looked to the side. "Your boyfriend?"

He smiled and tucked the pencil inside the book before putting it on her bedside table. "Kagome, I've lived many lives and had many adventures between then and now. _Now_ is for you. _This_ is what I consider my home until you tell me to go away."

He rolled over onto his stomach and propped his head on his palm with a little grin. "My boyfriend was one of many relationships I've enjoyed over the years. It's in my nature to be affectionate, and _you_ are my current target for affection."

"What happens when I find someone?" She whispered as her hands clasped in front of her chest, and she wasn't sure why she suddenly felt like crying.

"Well, if it's _not_ me, then I suppose that person's gonna have to get used to me being around until you need me to go away." He held his arms out and she shuffled slowly to bed. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna abandon you if you find some hottie you like more than me. Although I'm not sure _how_ that would be possible," he sniffed, flicking his bangs casually.

She giggled, her tears held _barely_ in check as she slid under her covers and he curled his warmth around her.

"Get some sleep already. It's way too late for you to be getting all emotional over maybes."

She rubbed her face in her pillow. "You still have a ton of explaining to do. I've never seen Mama _hit_ someone."

"Alright,” he huffed. “I'll start when you're getting tired so that you sleep through most of it."

She sighed. She had too many questions and not enough time to unload them all. "Why couldn't you stay? Did you have feelings for her?"

He twisted his fingers in her hair and nuzzled his face against the strands. "I did love her. I still do, but long before we met, her scent had been firmly embedded in my memories as your mother and your safety. I thought about it sometimes, that maybe she could be someone I might want to play with, but I could never overcome that scent memory, not to mention she and Toshi were so devoted to each other. There would have never been room for a third." He closed his eyes against old, painful memories. He missed Toshi.

"Aiko definitely thought I was cute, and maybe when we first became friends she had been interested in me, but as she understood I couldn't like her back, she could only see me as a friend." He snorted in amusement. "I once told Toshi and Aiko that I didn't like girls _at all_ to avoid having to further explain why I wouldn't interfere in their relationship. It ended up working out in my favor at that time, I think. I'm not so sure it's going to work well in my favor _now_."

Kagome laughed as she hugged her pillow to her face. "With the way you act, I bet you'd probably roll around in the hay with anything."

He grumbled underneath her hair. "I have _standards_ , thank you very much. _Anyways,_ I couldn't stay because the older you got, the more you'd remember. And I think having a friend that could do things like literally kiss away the boo-boos might have raised some red flags once you got old enough to understand that's not how things are supposed to be. We've worked hard to keep magic nothing more than a myth to the regular folk."

"I don't understand why you all want to hide."

"The Great War between the humans and magical folk is a good reason why, but you fell asleep the last time I tried telling you about it."

Kagome yawned, right on schedule. "I imagine it was a terrible thing."

"Quite terrible. Lots of people died."

"How _did_ your magic heal my arm that day? Is this just a kitsune thing?"

He chuckled and she felt him shaking his head. "Nice change of subject. No interest in history, eh?"

"I've lived enough history and seen enough people die to last a lifetime, I think."

He smiled a bit ruefully. "Y'know, with your luck, you're gonna get dropped right into the middle of that mess with no idea what's going on." He sighed and tucked himself closer to her hair. "But I'll give you an out this time."

He ran his fingers along the skin of her forearm where the break had been so many years ago. "As a human, kitsune magic _normally_ works like hypnosis. What lots of people call _kitsune seduction_ is really just kitsune _suggestion_. When you were very young and got a little bump on your head, I thought by using my magic, I could at least convince you that it didn't really hurt so you'd stop crying. I was a little surprised when the bump went away."

She smiled and closed her eyes against the next yawn. "Maybe you should pursue therapy for real if you can hypnotize people into thinking their problems aren't problems."

He shook his head. "No way. It's like lying. Anyways, I've had many discussions with others about this. It is suspected that sharing magic works with you because you're a magical creature like the rest of us. Just like when you learned how to use your ki more effectively, you could heal faster than normal humans because you had extra energy sitting around not being used. I _bet_ if you knew how to direct it better, you might have been able to heal as fast as one of us. And _now_ with the jewel able to hand over enough energy to power a small city, it's probably why you can heal ridiculously fast. I might be wrong. _Hopefully_ it's not just that your cells are working at an advanced rate and you're gonna be an old lady by the end of next year."

The thought of her energy going so wrong made her nervous. "You're going off topic a bit, there," she said quietly, trying to force away the sudden ripple of apprehension.

"Hmm, a bit."

"Do you think that's why Kurama was able to help heal me with his magic?"

She felt him shrug. "Probably. It might mean you're just meant to live amongst our kind _forever_."

She hummed in thought. Kurama's magic didn't just heal her that day. It felt _good._ She pressed her lips together in concern, wondering if _all_ kitsune magic worked the same way for her, now. Maybe there should be no more kissing injuries away. She felt her face getting hot and pressed her cool hands to her cheeks, willing her thoughts away from _nice_ things.

Shippo cleared his throat. "What the heck are you thinking of _now?_ "

Her face burned. "Nothing, never mind."

"Are you thinking of my cousin again? He's such a troublesome male."

She snorted. "No, I wasn't. Not really."

He made a sound of disbelief but didn't press her for more information.

There were a few minutes of silence. Kagome started feeling a little bit sleepy, but one last concern wedged its way into her thoughts before she could drift off.

"I'm a little bit worried about going back. We had such trouble getting the well to open one last time to let me come home. What if the well won't open again?"

"I guess as long as you leave and come back within the next few years, you _should_ still be able to get everyone together to do the same thing as last time to let you through. Kikyo was there for a while before she vanished and took Inuyasha with her, _wherever that ended up being_ ," he trailed off with a mutter.

"I guess I have some time to plan, then."

" _We_ have time to plan," he clarified. Then a new thought crossed his mind and he leaned over to look down into her face with concern. " _Please_ do not leave us for a few years. I don't want to do that again."

In the silence that followed, she felt a little chill as she stared up into his serious green eyes, illuminated only by the little bit of moonlight that slipped through her curtains. She _really_ hoped she didn't get stuck in the past on another ridiculous quest for years.

He flopped back behind her and curled an arm around her waist. "Don't worry about it too much. I don't think you'll get trapped there. I never heard any talk of you reappearing, so either anyone who knew kept damned good secrets or you just weren't there long enough for anyone to notice."

It was a nice thought that her errand might be so short. It helped ease her worries _just enough_ to fall asleep.

She woke before dawn to discover he'd disappeared. The spot where he usually curled up at her side was still warm, so he hadn't been gone long. She pulled his pillow to her face and closed her eyes, wondering how the heck she was going to sleep during her time away without him. With luck, she wouldn't be gone long enough to find out.

He showed up at their front door a few hours later that morning with a large box balanced on one arm. "Ready to get started?"

Grouchy from the lack of sleep, she might have glared _just_ a little bit. "What did you do?"

He flashed a toothy smile. "Planned ahead and hoarded stuff just in case." She let him inside with a wave of her hand before trudging into the kitchen for some caffeine.

After she'd had breakfast and two cups of tea, she followed him upstairs to see what the fuss was all about. He opened the box in the middle of her bedroom floor and rummaged for a moment before pulling out a familiar outfit.

"That looks _fancier_ than I recall."

He shrugged, brushing off a speck of dust from the material before handing it to her. It appeared to be classic miko attire but made with a shimmery fabric that didn't look like anything she'd seen before.

"I knew we'd find some use for this eventually. It's great for keeping body temperature regulated under _reasonable_ conditions, but don't go falling into a fire."

She raised an eyebrow.

"It's waterproof, too! You can get rained on and stay totally dry. There's also a bodysuit somewhere in here that's cut resistant. You'll be pretty safe from glancing strikes with claws or knives, but it's not very effective against stabbing." He sighed. "I really hope you keep yourself out of trouble. There's only so much we can do with magic, and if I put you in enough armor to protect against every scenario, you won't be able to walk."

She laughed at the thought of being bundled in that much protection. She poked around in the box until she found what looked like the bodysuit he'd mentioned. She ran her fingers along the strange weave of its material and wondered aloud, "How much did all of this _cost_?"

"Eh? Nothing. I'm _really_ good friends with one of the community tailors."

Kagome glanced at him with a little bit of a smirk. " _Really_ good friends, eh?"

"Yep! They've heard all your stories." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, the number of people that are just dying to meet you…"

She paused and stared at him. "That sounds ominous."

He nudged her in the side with a knuckle and a wink. "I kid! There's only a few, and they aren't dying."

She frowned anyways. "I wonder though… how many are still around? That _knew_ me?"

He looked up at the ceiling overhead and ticked off names of people she'd encountered during their lengthy adventures, adding random tidbits about their current lives. She laughed until her sides hurt, worries briefly forgotten.

It took some time for him to show off the entire contents of his box. "We will pack soon. In case something happens, you should have your stuff ready to go."  
She nodded in agreement. Worrying about troubles that might be coming but not knowing _what they were_ or _when they_ _'d happen_ was starting to be an irritating point of tension. Maybe she should just collect her gear and try jumping into the well to get it over with.

He sensed her growing unease and pulled her outside. "As you _probably_ aren't leaving for a bit," he gave her a look as though he knew exactly where her thoughts were heading, "you should practice what you know and learn a few new things."

She was a little suspicious when he pulled out an ancient tape deck, popped in a somewhat warped cassette and hit the scuffed play button. The strained notes that warbled forth were immediately recognizable as training-montage music from an old boxing film that her brother had watched at _least_ a dozen times the previous summer. She pushed him over with a groan of disgust. "No. Just, _no_. We will practice in silence."

He whined in remorse. "No flair for the dramatic! I had saved this just for you.”

Five hundred years and countless adventures both on his own and with allies had given him a wealth of experience, not only with his own magic but with hers. "My only regret, aside from your refusal of an appropriate soundtrack, is that Angara* won't be available for a few weeks."

"Angara?"

"Oh yes. You'll _love_ her. Anything you can demonstrate, she can take a tiny thread of it and twist it into shapes you never dreamed possible. It took us a while to dare testing her abilities with my holy magic—"

The strangeness of that statement snagged her immediate attention and she interrupted him. "Your… Oh! That _reminds me_. What _is_ _that_?" She waved a hand in the vague direction of his chest.

"Hmm?" He glanced down, not sure what she was asking about.

"When you asked me to reach out and get a feel for the others before our lunch, I saw…" she waved again at his heart.

"Ah." He paused, considering his words. "Here, sit." They settled on the stone paving across from each other. "Close your eyes," he instructed. "Look for my energy again. Tell me what you see. Describe it."

She relaxed and reached out with her senses. "Can I hold your hand? It's easier through touch."

"Easier, sure. But you need the practice. No touching."

She frowned and tilted her head. She understood how to seek out and understand someone's _whole_ , but she'd never tried to pick out the nuances that made them what they were.

She described what she could see of his nature: the glowing blue fire that traced through his body from his fingertips and his toes to his heart. As she stared and examined, she could eventually see that most of his energy had twisting facets of color, and she marveled at the barely discernible rainbow of shades flowing easily throughout his body.

The color became noticeably strange the closer it was to his core. It grew brighter, most of the colors drained away into a pale pink brightness, and it called to her with its familiarity. Was this brightness, this strange aberration in his spirit, the thing he was trying to tell her about that day in the Makai? The energy he'd learned to live with, which makes him sick if he tries to take energy from others?

He broke through her concentration with his quiet whisper, "Do you see it?"

She fisted her hands against the desire to reach out and touch, but her magic went where her hands could not and brushed against the glowing shimmer. It brightened and pulsed within his chest, and her eyes flew open at his shocked gasp. He had leaned forward to wrap protective arms around his chest.

She reached for him with fluttering hands, afraid to touch but worried he'd been harmed. "Oh, no! Are you okay?"

He blinked a few times, staring at nothing as his face turned scarlet, and then he peered at her with dark eyes, his pupils so wide she could barely see any of the green. "That…" he swallowed. "Kagome, that's the part of you that I have carried with me for nearly my entire life."

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, her eyes wide with concern.

He shook his head. "I'm alright." He shook his head again as though he was trying to shake something from his thoughts. "A long time ago, I thought it was just a piece of your magic. But it never seems to run out, and it has only gotten stronger over time. Then, when Botan complained that it had been your _spirit_ preventing her from taking my soul, I had to rethink what I'd believed to be true all this time."

Kagome turned her attention to the familiar swirl of energy only vaguely detectable while her eyes were open.

"You know, technically I've owned this magic longer than you have, so I get to call it _my_ holy magic."

She rolled her eyes.

"The day I discovered I had your magic, a very good friend was teaching me how to play."

Kagome tilted her head in confusion. "I'm getting the impression that this doesn't involve dice or a board game."

He laughed. "It _can_ , but no, I mean something more along the lines of a cat playing with its food. A common method kitsune use for feeding is accompanied with physical distractions like kissing or sex. With my weird upbringing, I never learned how to do it, and I was nearly starving due to some unforeseen conditions. My friend tried to teach me how to feed from her by demonstrating and took some of your magic with mine. Her reactions were pretty scary and I had to learn real fast how to take it back."

Kagome's eyes widened. "This is what you were talking about at lunch?"

He nodded and laughed ruefully. "A normal kitsune can feed off of energy stolen from their lovers. Because of this part of you, I can't. Remember what it felt like?"

She did, a little too clearly. She shuddered in revulsion.

He smiled. "The same goes in reverse. Because of this part of you, others cannot take from me. It was a very rough morning. Lessons learned."

Kagome cringed. Taking energy had made her violently ill and that was bad enough, but she would probably never forget how much it hurt to have the fires of purification ripping through every fiber of her being.

He snickered. "Maybe we _should_ let Kurama take his taste. He'd probably regret ever meeting you."

She gasped. "You must not know how much that hurts to wish it on someone else."

He shrugged. "You're right. I've lucked out, there. I have no regrets if it keeps him from bothering you."

"Wait," she stared at him. "I've _felt_ what purification does to a youkai, firsthand, and it's an awful experience. Are you telling me that because you have some of my magic,"

" _My_ magic, now," he interrupted.

"Are you saying that because you own holy magic, purification doesn't hurt you anymore? At all?"

"Like I keep saying—"

"Yeah, you're special," she finished for him. Her hand lit with pink. "But if I did this," and she leaned forward to reach out for him. He dodged faster than the day that she had thrown up at his feet. "What are you running from?"

He laughed nervously. "It doesn't _hurt_ , but it _does_ affect me. I really must insist on limiting my exposure for the sake of my sanity."

"My magic makes you crazy?"

"Er, yes. Something like that. It'll be a good reason for me to avoid it during practice, but you can rest assured you won't kill either of us on accident."

She peered at him a bit suspiciously. She was glad she couldn't kill him with her magic, but how could it affect his _sanity_? And what the heck did he think they’d be doing for _practice_?

He grinned and stretched from a safe distance away. "Before we practice the stuff you know, let's look at something new: Anchored barriers!"

She frowned and waved her hand around her. "Aren't I already doing that with the shrine?"

Shippo nodded. "Yes, but I mean on a smaller scale. You protect the shrine because it's the land and the people that you love, so it's like an extension of yourself, lasting as long as the power you've dumped into it can be maintained."

"Right," Kagome agreed.

He held out a pebble. "Can you put a little barrier around something like this?"

She frowned. "That seems wasteful."

"Yeah, but _can you do it_?" She made a face and plucked it from his fingers as he continued. "You don't really care about the rock, but if you can put a barrier around it, or around a statue, or around the clearing like I did in the Makai, then it's not an extension of your love, just your _will._ "

"Makes sense."

"I'm sure you can think of a few reasons why having a barrier stay put in a strange place while you go running around to be a hero might be useful."

She nodded, thoughtful. The only time she'd had to maintain a barrier around a fixed position during battle was when others were fighting and she was protecting. She might not always have backup.

"And then, there are new and exciting ways you can make use of such a thing, like _this_." He dropped a tiny blue barrier around another pebble and flicked the glowing bubble across the courtyard. She watched with wide eyes as it bounced along the stones, emitting tiny flashes of light before it disappeared into some grass. "It _can_ be a terrible waste of power when you're learning how to do it, but knowing how to bend the rules might one day save your life, which is _never_ wasteful."

She worked on the technique for a while, tweaking how she'd apply her magic and concentration to encourage barriers around less significant things. Because much of her abilities were based around feelings rather than understanding how they worked, it was difficult to stop doing things the way that made sense to her heart. Shippo was a passable teacher, though, and she got the first flickerings of a tiny bubble to appear before lunch. "You'll definitely need more practice, _but_ this concept leads into one more that I'll show you before we move on to reviewing everything you already know how to do."

He had her sit across from him as though they were going to meditate. "Now, close your eyes, and feel."

She hummed, "This again?"

"I want you to reach for anything that has your magic." He paused for a moment before clarifying. "Not me. Don't reach for me for this exercise."

She laughed. He almost sounded _nervous_. "The barrier around the shrine?" she suggested with a smile.

"Yes, that'll be perfect. You can feel it?"

She nodded. She frequently did this, reaching out for the barrier while she was at home, testing its strength, feeding more magic into the land to reinforce her protections in case something happened and she had to leave quickly.

"If you can feel something, you are connected to it. You have a direct metaphysical line between whatever it is that makes you magical to the energy at the other end. You can _feel_ the warmth of a campfire by sitting close to it, right?. You don't have to stick your hand in to warm up. I've seen you touch the ground to use the earth as a conduit to replenish your barrier, but that's not necessary. You can send more magic into anything within range of your senses. A _hama-no-ya_ in flight toward a target? You should be able to suck your magic back from the arrow after it has loosed, or dump even more power into it before it strikes its target."

The barrier thrummed with strength, so there wasn't much more she could send out to test his concept. She drew back her focus to their friend sitting before her and watched the gently swirling light of her magic around his heart. There was _so much_. She didn't think it was possible for her magic to happily coexist within a creature so vastly different from herself. "So," she murmured, "I could take my magic back from you, and you could be normal again?"

There was a long silence. She opened one eye to peek at him. "Maybe," he admitted quietly, his hand resting protectively over his heart. "But I hope you never find a reason."

They stared at each other for a few moments before he glanced away, clearly uncomfortable with the direction their conversation had gone. "Think about how your connection works with everything around you. We can practice that technique tomorrow when you've had some rest." He stood and offered her a hand up. "Let's take a short break and then we can work on more practical stuff you're already familiar with."

She had a hard time invoking her magic to use against him. He might believe he couldn't be purified by her magic, but actually _testing_ his resistance to a direct strike was proving impossible. Some part of her mind was still quite convinced that she might accidentally kill him.

After a few false starts where her magic sputtered out as soon as she tried swinging her bow in his direction, he got a brilliant (in Kagome's opinion, _awful_ ) idea. He waggled his eyebrows at her and did a little flourishing spin, and as his hair settled she took two steps back in shock. Their long-dead arch-nemesis, Naraku, stood casually across the short distance.

"I know you can tell it's still me," he said, and Kagome shuddered at the sound of his dark voice. "But I bet this will help." He grinned in a very unsettling way, his red eyes glowing with anticipation. She didn't even have time to ready her stance again before he flew in her direction, claws outstretched.

Less than an hour later, Shippo had to call the session short to mentally recuperate. He lounged on the roof, his hands plastered to his face as he quietly groaned at his idiocy of suggesting she practice with magic. Of course her magic couldn't hurt him, but he knew what would happen if she got in a lucky hit. _Assuming_ he'd be fast enough to dodge everything she could throw at him had been his folly. He should have remembered that she'd been dealing with youkai long enough that he wouldn't be able to evade her forever. She'd had enough blind luck on her side to beat some surprising odds more than once in the past.

Shifting into someone she despised and feared had been the key to getting her to let loose. He _might_ have underestimated her just a bit. She hadn't been able to bring her weapon up quickly enough to block his sudden strike, and with his attention on her bow he definitely didn't spot her swinging hand glowing bright with magic. He didn't have a chance to dodge the palm that caught him in the arm.

The punch of her magic had literally knocked the breath right out of him as he slid to a stop, and he'd leaned over, wheezing as he tried to control (and hide) the very physical reaction he'd had to an unrestrained strike of her magic. It was almost funny how she hovered over him, worried she had hurt him as he tried to wave her off. She'd probably beat a hasty retreat if she knew what it _really_ did to him.

He sighed and stared up at the darkening sky. She had offered to try taking back her magic so he could be _normal_.

What made anyone normal?

Who wanted to be like all the others?

He didn't want to give up this part of him. He'd had that piece of her for nearly his entire life. The magic was at odds with his nature, but it hadn't killed him. It had even saved his life more than a few times. He might be a broken kitsune, but it was a pleasant kind of broken that he'd learned to live with. He loved living with the warmth at his core, knowing he would always have this piece of his favorite person. He shook his head to break free from his fuzzy happy thoughts. He sounded like an obsessed stalker.

From the poking around he'd done, there were no other examples of a miko's magic being incorporated into a full-blooded youkai like hers was in him. No known matings, no magical adoptions, nothing. It just hadn't been done. They were too biased with centuries of learned hatred. Their Community, tucked away in hidden corners of the world, had mortals living in harmony with the magical folk, but the lack of holy creatures hadn't gone unnoticed. Her kind of magic had been steadily fading from existence, making even their mixed society a poor source of examples.

Luck had brought together the innocence of youth that allowed their natural bond to form. And now Shippo wondered if something he'd done, something she'd done, had changed what would have been the normal progression in their lives.

He slid from the roof to land in an easy crouch on the pavement in front of Kagome's front door. It didn't matter what they _should_ have been if they had never met one another in the past.

It had happened, and now they were as they were. He wanted it no other way.

He walked through the front door with an easy smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angara was introduced in book 2, ch24 Angara. Youngest child and only daughter of Baikal Khan (water dragon and lord of one of the mixed communities on the mainland), her skills helped Shippo figure out a few new things.


	10. Plus One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a kitsune in the mix, it's hard to tell the difference between matchmaking and flirting, especially when it might just be _both_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a very long chapter. Enjoy it while you can, because...

"Okay, this time I'm going to fire off a tiny burst, and I want to see if you can follow its path and drop some extra energy into it before it hits."

The dark shape perched high in a tree overhead, glaring down at the two as they practiced. The hair on the back of his neck rose in silent warning as the fleck of light slung across the courtyard, flaring into a burst of bright pink before it exploded in a shower of sparks against one of the training posts that had been set up. As soon as their current exercise concluded, both pairs of eyes flicked upwards at his hiding spot. Somehow he was not surprised to be so easily sussed out by both of them. The fox slid his gaze to the side with a smirk. "Hey Kagome, look what I found for you!"

She rolled her eyes and turned to walk back to her starting position.

He didn't bother trying to hide how irritated he was with the kitsune's actions. "I've been looking for you for weeks." His voice wasn't much more than a whispered growl.

"Shoulda come here _first_ , then."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. Something had changed. He had anticipated being unable to read the girl's mind, but now the kitsune had done something that rendered most of his thoughts a fuzzy blur.

"I'm glad you're here, though, I could use the practice." Shippo waggled his fingertips in his direction with a cocky grin, and Hiei's mouth curled into a displeased frown as he glared harder. "Why have you been looking for me?"

"We need to talk."

"We're talking," Shippo obstinately crossed his arms.

Kagome glanced back at the two males in concern. "I'll just go see if Mama needs help with dinner. Hiei, there will be plenty if you'd like join us." She didn't ask or wait for his response, hoping he'd accept the invitation but knowing he probably wouldn't. _Too social_. Just before she was out of their sight, she called over her shoulder, "I'd appreciate it if you do not leave blood all over the courtyard."

"So, talk." Shippo flopped to ground with his legs crossed and closed his eyes, apparently meditating. Hiei thumbed the hilt of his blade and eyed him in contemplation. What was this little upstart thinking, dismissing him like he wasn't a threat? What had he _done_ to block him out? His gaze flicked toward the house where Kagome had disappeared. Maybe she'd had a hand in it, _whatever it was_.

"Stewing angrily in that tree isn't getting you answers any faster, you know," he muttered. "Shall I begin, instead? Whatcha been up to?"

He scowled, ignoring his question. "Why did you shout about her return like it was something of note? Why not keep it hidden?"

Shippo flexed his fingers against his knees and rocked his head to the side, apparently listening to something Hiei could not hear. "Anything that _should_ remain a secret never does for long. I'm curious," he paused, and a strange shiver of energy danced up Hiei's spine. "How would _you_ have explained away that massive glowing pink tree? We've been planning for her return for centuries, you know. I imagine you've been looking for me long enough to find a few of those _plans_."

Shippo sensed his tightly restrained burning aura drop from the tree to land a few feet away. The scent of woodsmoke and cinnamon drifted toward him with his silent impact, curling pleasantly through the air. He briefly considered asking him to roll around in Kagome's bedding before he got too angry to stay.

Would he still smell like woodsmoke if he weren't constantly on the verge of bursting into flame? He could sense the magic _itching_ to break free.

He took a deep breath, savoring the scent. He could be mistaken with his initial impression. His connection to fire magic was still very much an unknown. He peeked up at Hiei, wondering if he'd be around long enough for him to practice.

Hiei stared down at him in irritation. Something about the expression on the kitsune's face made him want to grab the older youkai by the throat and _shake_.

He'd spent the last two weeks scouring the Makai for any sign that her life might be in danger. The kitsune's theatrics when he'd announced her return like it was some _legend come true_ had seemed like the most idiotic thing he could have done. And yet, he kept hearing strange rumors that the ghost of a legendary miko had appeared to bring solace to the people and right wrongs that had been done. Apparitions of ghostly women of various ethnicities could be found scattered all over the Makai. He'd spotted blondes and brunettes, tall and short, dark and light; a hundred appearances that looked nothing like the real girl, with dozens of strangely skewed interpretations of the ancient legend being passed in whispers around pubs and campfires.

Shippo unfolded his legs and stood with a stretch. "Misdirection is my middle name," he boasted. "Anyways, I've got this place covered. You can go, now." He flicked his fingertips in Hiei's direction and turned to head inside.

Hiei wasn't sure if the kitsune meant to goad him into staying or fighting. He narrowed his eyes. "What did you _do_?"

"I'm not sure what you're asking about now, because I've _done_ many things." Shippo looked back over his shoulder and met his eyes with a slowly spreading grin. "You might have to learn how to use your words if you aren't going to be plucking thoughts from my mind anymore."

Hiei clenched his fist at his side but maintained his carefully neutral expression. "Her life is in _danger_."

Shippo scoffed, his hand on the door. "Her life is _always_ in danger. You're just new to the club. Look around. This place is so packed full of protections that _even if_ some idiot managed to find us and cross our barrier, anything they'd try in their pathetic attempt to harm those living here would be nullified well enough that even the _humans_ could take them out."

"She can't spend the rest of her life here."

Shippo shrugged. "We know. She practices to keep her skills sharp, and I'm teaching her some stuff." He paused, considering his words before he turned to face the dark youkai with a half-smile. "You gonna stay and teach her a few new things, or are you too busy doing whatever else is more important to you?"

Hiei met his eyes with an even stare. What _was_ more important to him right now? His sister was safe. The Makai was (mostly) at peace. The Reikai could catch fire and burn until the end of time for all he cared. He owed them nothing anymore. His only objective was more personal than he'd have liked to admit.

"Shoes there, and your sword can be left here," the kitsune indicated a stand holding a few umbrellas.

' _He_ _'s out of his mind,'_ Hiei thought, staring daggers at the back of the possibly oblivious (but more likely _intentionally_ irritating) male.

Shippo turned to face his glare with a mischievous expression, " _or_ you can hide it up in her room if you'd rather it be out of sight. We don't usually bring weapons to the dinner table."

Hiei clenched his eyes shut and counted to five. He could avoid bloodshed for one evening. Probably.

"I hope you didn't—Oh!" The two turned to glance at Kagome. She stared at the unlikely sight of Hiei standing in her home's entryway. Her face turned pink. "Um," she trailed off, whatever she'd been planning on saying completely forgotten.

"We didn't get any blood in the courtyard," Shippo grinned. " _This_ time," he added, smirking in Hiei's direction. "What's for dinner?"

Kagome's mother was delighted to meet another of her supernatural friends and placed an extra chair to squeeze in at Kagome's end of their too-small table.

"Aiko-chan, I'm gonna get you a bigger table," Shippo announced.

Hiei eyed the kitsune in distaste as he settled into the offered seat. Kagome sat next to him and leaned into his space to quietly explain, "They've been friends since before I was born." She caught his slight nod from the corner of her eye.

She was a little surprised that her brother was perceptive enough to pick up that the newcomer didn't seem very inclined to chat, and only briefly introduced himself with a welcoming smile before turning to Shippo with a dozen questions about what they had practiced that day while he'd been away at school. Souta was terribly disappointed that he'd missed so much 'action' on the shrine grounds, but she smiled when Shippo promised he'd be able to participate on the days he had free from classes.

She couldn't believe that Hiei had accepted her offer to join them for dinner. She glanced at Shippo, who laughed at something Souta said before he met her eyes with a saucy wink. ' _What the heck is he plotting?_ ' she wondered, pressing her next bite of food into her mouth.

Her grandfather leaned into her from her other side and said a little too loudly, "Granddaughter, should I start keeping my banishment charms in the house again?"

She laughed. "No, please don't waste your stock. Shippo and I have warded the grounds thoroughly against evil spirits."

"If you're certain…" he hedged, leaning forward to give the newcomer a closer look.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Grandpa," she chastised.

Hiei was slightly mollified that at least _one_ person at the table considered him potentially dangerous, although he'd have thought anyone looking as suspiciously cheerful as that irritating fox should be the _true_ threat in this household.

"Hiei, will you be staying as well?" Kagome's mother asked.

Kagome immediately turned red as Shippo burst into laughter. "The more, the merrier!" he cheered. Souta rolled his eyes as he snagged a bite from Kagome's unguarded plate and Grandpa sipped his tea, muttering about his home being overrun with young people.

Hiei stared in silent concern at the unusual interaction. Surely there was some inside joke he was missing.

Kagome cleared her throat and glanced too briefly in his direction with scarlet cheeks. "Um, I suspect something might be happening soon, so Shippo and I have been shoring up the shrine defenses and putting in extra time for practice and planning, just in case. You're welcome to stay if you'd like."

 _That_ made sense, especially with the potential for problems with her jewel, but not her immediate reaction to her mother's question.

As dinner ended and the table was cleared, everyone shifted into the family room to sit more comfortably and visit. Conversation was mild and mundane for the evening, as the elder Higurashi told a story about an old enchanted blade that _had_ to be heavily exaggerated while Shippo encouraged him by adding in details that couldn't possibly be accurate. Kagome and Souta listened with thinly veiled amusement. Kagome's mother served a round of tea and sat back with a genuine smile of peace.

This felt _right_.

Hiei wondered if any of his teammates had experienced something like this yet. Her home, the relaxing atmosphere, the pleasant scents and sounds, and that appealing blush on her cheeks every time she met his eyes.

The grandfather left first, needing his sleep. Hiei vaguely recalled Kagome's concerns about the elder's failing health during their brief journey together in Makai, but it looked like he'd recovered from whatever had ailed him.

The younger brother begrudgingly left next, his schoolwork needing attention before the hour grew too late.

The mother paused in the doorway with her tray of empty cups and looked back at the trio remaining. "I'm very glad you have people here that you can trust and depend on, Kagome." The woman had an interesting expression in the set of her eyes, both thankful and threatening at the same time. He didn't need to read her mind to understand that she'd seen her daughter's pink face and knew exactly what it might mean.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality this evening," he said, the only words he'd spoken since he'd stepped inside. This home, this family, this _peace_ , all of it was little reflections and extensions of the girl sitting across the room. There was much he would do to keep it all intact.

"You're welcome," she smiled before leaving the room. A tense silence fell over the three. Kagome attempted to hide her face behind her teacup as she took another sip.

"So," Shippo hedged, an absolutely wicked smirk on his face. "You gonna stay the night?"

Kagome choked on the liquid in her mouth and barely stopped from making a mess. "Shippo! Why are you being weird?"

He leaned back into his seat with a grin. "I didn't ask anything strange. You're the one making it sound like I'm asking him to join us in bed!"

Her mouth fell open and she turned a horrified gaze to Shippo first, then to Hiei, who sat frozen in his seat. When he vanished a moment later, she made a strangled noise and glared at her friend. "If you've run him off, I will _murder_ you," she said, her voice not much more than a hiss.

She stood without another look in Shippo's direction and walked quietly up the stairs. He rubbed his hand down his face with a mutter and a sigh before he jumped up from his seat and slid outside. Hiei hadn't taken his shoes, so he expected he hadn't gone far.

When Kagome stepped into her room to fetch her pajamas with an angry scowl on her face, she jumped in surprise at the dark figure sitting in her open window. "I'm not so inclined to believe every word that fox likes to sling about," he said quietly, staring across the short distance at her expression as it melted from angry to relieved.

"Sorry about that, he's…"

"A trickster? Nah, just the best friend you never realized you needed." Shippo materialized on her bed with a short laugh. He rolled over and stared at the shorter youkai. "She has nightmares from the possession. Usually I'd say no big deal, but _her_ nightmares," he pointed in Kagome's direction with a grimace, "involve bursts of magic that might damage something or draw the wrong kinds of attention. Someone's gotta stop them before they get started."

She sighed and strode across the room to collect her things.

"I wasn't kidding though." Shippo rubbed his face in her pillow. "You gonna stay the night? We can make room."

Kagome's mouth fell open and she turned beet red. "I'm just… ah… gonna go change." She fled from her room, horrified. "Yeah, change. And sleep on the floor. In the downstairs closet," she muttered, walking quickly away from her bedroom. She wasn't sure, but he might just be causing mischief to get a good giggle, or he considered Hiei to be some kind of new toy he wanted to play with _or_ he was trying to hook her up. Any way she looked at it, she was _not_ ready to deal with whatever his intentions were.

What the heck happened to the plan that he'd put in place to keep her from doing anything stupid with Kurama? She slowed as she reached the bathroom. Was it only that he worried about Kurama because _she_ worried about Kurama?

She mentally panicked and slid into the bathroom. A toothbrushing. She needed a good toothbrushing to really think.

"What the _fuck_ is your deal?" Hiei asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"She likes you and you haven't freaked her out, yet. I figure this is gonna go one of two ways. Either you do something stupid and make her wary to hang out around you and I'll happily kick you to the curb at that time, _or_ you're gonna hit it off the right way and we can just skip the lengthy and awkward will-they-or-won't-they."

Hiei stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

Shippo grinned, flashing a set of fangs as he slid off her mattress and stalked toward him. "You must know, though, that the only reason I'll be leaving her side is if she makes me go, so if you're gonna stick around for her, you're gonna have to deal with _me_." Shippo stopped about a foot away and stared down into the face of someone who could ruin everything with his extensive knowledge of their carefully kept secrets. The tiny charm he kept in his pocket now had been something he should have thought about sooner to keep a telepath out of his head, but there was nothing he could do about what had been revealed earlier.

If Kagome decided she didn't like this one after all, they might have to do much more than just kick him to the curb. He knew _too much_. His fingers twitched as he wondered exactly _what_ his newly inherited powers might be capable of with the fire magic he could sense burning within the shorter youkai's chest.

Hiei smiled tightly. He'd seen enough of her heart when the power gave him a taste of her time. He'd probably never get rid of this one standing before him like he owned the place. "We'll see."

His attention was drawn downwards and he followed the brightness of her light with his mind. "You might want to go fetch her from wherever she has hidden downstairs, though. It seems you have upset her."

Shippo found her sitting on the floor of a downstairs closet, hiding her face in her hands. "Aw, c'mon, Kagome. I don't see any reason you need to be upset." He squeezed into the tight space beside her and sat down, his knees drawn up to his chest. "Are you mad at me?" he whined, nudging her with his shoulder. "I figure if I give him a hard enough time now, he'll know what he's getting into if he stays."

"You invited him to sleep with us. With me," her voice was muffled against her hands.

"Well, yeah. Sleeping. It's nice and safe here on the shrine and it's really hard to get a good night of rest in the Makai. You've _been_ there. Remember? It's shitty and scary and a damned nightmare."

"Somehow I don't believe that's all you were thinking about."

"Nah, but like, I've been around the block a few times. I _did_ get tail number four from my extensive adult experiences. It really shouldn't be _that_ big of a deal."

She peeked at him through a gap in her fingers. "Wait, you…you got one of your _tails_ …from—" she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.

Shippo snickered and leaned close to whisper, "Fucking. Yes." She was so adorably embarrassed. "I can _kind_ of understand the human mentality to enjoy life at a slower pace nowadays, because seventy years is long enough to experience a lot of the stuff life has to offer mundane folk, but _you_ aren't mundane. I can't imagine _any_ other human living life at the edge of death so frequently like you have and never taking things for herself." He nudged her with his elbow. "I can understand you being nervous about Kurama. He knows nothing about our history and the unique dangers of our lives. I'm not certain how he'll react once he knows everything."

She sighed. It wasn't the only reason she was nervous about Kurama. His magic had been unexpectedly delightful, and she didn't like that loss of control. "Didn't you just advise me, _this week_ , that I shouldn't just run with the first male who flirted at me?"

Shippo gave her a serious look. " _Did_ Hiei flirt with you?"

She thought back to all their interactions. "Um, I'm not sure. Maybe?"

"Better question: did he take advantage of you when you were vulnerable?"

She pursed her lips. "I don't think so."

"Have you had any reason to feel nervous in his presence?"

"Well, yeah. When we first met he really _really_ didn't like me."

Shippo rolled his eyes. "I doubt that was actually the case, but I'll humor you. Do you have any reason to feel nervous around him now?"

She shook her head, then considered it for a moment and changed her mind. "I don't know what to _do_ ," she admitted.

Shippo rolled his head backward. "Man, and here I was, trying to skip the lengthy and awkward stuff. You're an absolute novice."

"I do not want your kind of help with relationships, Shippo!" she warned, barely keeping her voice down.

"Meh, you might not _want_ my help but you're probably gonna need it unless you plan on beating around the bush for the next year." He looked at her sideways. "I can help you understand how the mechanics work so you're ready for whatever comes your way."

She glared at him. "I _know_ how sex works."

He sniffed, turning his nose up. "Knowing how something works and actually doing it are very different things. I'm available if you want to practice, that's all." He peeked from the corner of his eye at her wide-eyed expression. "If you'd rather practice on _him_ , I can hold him down," he offered.

She gasped and slapped her hand over his mouth. "Oh my gosh, he isn't _still here_ is he?" He nodded and she felt his lips curl under her fingers. "You're unbelievable," she muttered as he slid the flat of his tongue up her palm. She wiped her hand across his cheek and then stared in the opposite direction, hoping her face would go back to a normal color sometime in the next week.

He sighed. "Okay, forget I said anything."

"Are you _kidding_? How am I going to forget any of that?"

"Well," he looked at her sideways. "I could try some of that kitsune suggestion on you and see if I can get you to believe it never happened."

"Oh, um, _no_. No, we really shouldn't try that." She laughed nervously, clutching the fabric of her pajama pants in her fists. "I'll just deal with it." There was no escaping it. She just had to accept the fact that her face would be permanently on fire.

He stared at her. "I told you the other day that it works just fine holding hands. You sure you don't wanna try?"

"Mmhm," she said with false brightness, standing quickly to escape the tiny closet before she embarrassed herself further. It was already bad enough with Hiei suddenly showing up and Shippo trying to be helpful, but now she had to deal with the idea that _maybe_ kitsune magic did stuff it wasn't supposed to be doing to her that she _certainly_ didn't want be testing out _in a closet_ with Shippo.

She wasn't surprised to see Hiei sitting cross-legged beneath her window, his sword propped on one shoulder. "I can get you a pillow, if you need one?" Her voice only squeaked once in mortification. She hoped his sense of hearing was not as advanced as some of the youkai she'd known in the past.

He blinked placidly. "I won't be sleeping."

She hummed and dove under her blankets.

Shippo sidled into the room after her with a smirk. "Eh, suit yourself. I won't be either, but cuddling is _amazing_." He climbed over her and curled around the lump of her body under the comforter, then propped his head on his palm so he could stare over the mass of her hair at the male sitting less than ten feet away. He flicked his head, indicating he should join them.

"I _also_ won't be cuddling."

"You say that _now_." Shippo snorted. "You're probably bad at cuddling, anyways. That hair might put someone's eye out."

Hiei rolled his eyes.

Kagome buried her face in her pillow. _This was_ _ **not**_ _happening._

Perhaps it was the stress of the evening, but when she eventually dozed off, she did not sleep well. _Two_ nightmares crept up on her over the course of the night.

The purification burning her alive…

The tearing and stabbing pains of deadly vegetation ripping free from her flesh…

Shippo did his duty diligently and nudged her awake before either got bad enough to cause problems. When the sun came up over the horizon, she was already staring at the side of her nightstand, examining the barely discernible patterns in the wood.

"Sorry," came a quiet voice buried in her hair.

She sighed. "Maybe I should barrier my room tonight and you can just let the nightmare happen."

She felt the chuckle more than she heard it. "If you want to try that once, fine with me. Just might wanna put away anything breakable, yeah?"

Silence filled her room. Surely it couldn't be _that_ bad. She closed her eyes and buried her face in the cool fabric of her pillow. "Is he still here?"

"I am."

She was too tired to be embarrassed that he'd stuck around for the whole evening. "Sorry if I kept either of you awake."

Shippo snickered quietly. "We don't sleep much."

"Did you glare at each other all night, then?" she asked, humor warring with the tiredness in her voice.

"Nah," he whispered. "I've nearly won him over with my charming personality."

She heard him laugh suddenly, felt a brief shuffling at her side, and then the warmth of her kitsune vanished with a muffled curse. She leaned up on her elbows to stare blearily in the early morning light at the ruffling of her curtain in front of the open window. Hiei stood alone, staring out through the gap. He glanced at her briefly before he took his place on the floor once more. "You should try and get some more rest."

Shippo appeared on the windowsill a moment later, and she flopped back onto her pillow with a sigh.

"I didn't do anything to warrant being tossed out a window," he muttered, slinking back into her room.

Kagome smiled into the darkness of her bedding. He probably did something _daily_ that deserved being tossed out a window.

Shippo sighed loudly. "Aiko's already up. I'll go see if she wants help with breakfast." He paused in the doorway with a grin that Kagome could hear in his voice even without picking her head up off the pillow. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

She buried her face deeper into the fluff and tugged her blanket up over her neck. She didn't need to look to see he still sat beneath her window. She could feel his energy like a quiet simmer, closer to peace than she'd detected from him before. "Why are you here, Hiei?" she asked. It sounded rude, and she knew a few people who would huff in irritation, take it the wrong way, and storm off after a rough response.

"Do you want me to go?" he deflected.

It seemed like a good idea to have another powerful ally present on the shrine grounds in case everything went south like some tiny foreboding indicated might be on the horizon. But even if things stayed fine and she'd been overreacting… she was glad he was here.

"No."

* * *

"You just gonna sit up there and watch? Never would have pegged you to be a voyeur," Shippo muttered. "Thought you'd be the hands-on kinda guy, do what you want, fuck first and ask questions later."

Kagome gave him a funny look. "I think the phrase is _shoot_ first and ask questions later…"

Shippo shrugged. "Same difference."

"Hiei, you might actually have to go. I don't know if I can focus if Shippo is going to flirt with you nonstop."

Shippo laughed as he walked back to his starting position.

"I'll participate in training only if _he_ does." Hiei nodded in Shippo's direction.

"What do you mean?" she asked, glancing between the two. Shippo was obviously participating, already sporting a pink streak across his face from getting too cocky with a fancy dodge maneuver.

"He's blocking me with something. It's difficult to train with my hands tied behind my back."

Shippo rolled his eyes. "He's whining about my charm."

"Okay, you're charming, we all get it." She poked him with the end of her bow. "Let's just get on with it. Mama needs me to help sweep the shrine building for this weekend."

Shippo snickered. "Thanks, but I mean the charm I keep in my pocket. It keeps him outta my thoughts."

"Oh." She glanced at Hiei before frowning at Shippo. "Um, you only have _one_ of those?" She couldn't imagine the random tidbits of blush-worthy thoughts he might have been picking up.

He tapped his forehead. "Had to keep the company secrets safe. It wouldn't have done you any good, anyways. Anyone can read you like a book, Kagome, even if they can't get into your thoughts."

She turned pink and turned away from both of them, clutching her bow in embarrassment. ' _I really need to work on my poker face…'_ She slid her bow over a shoulder and pressed her free hands to her cheeks. Maybe she should call it quits for the day and just go meditate on the benefits of a clear and peaceful mind.

Hiei jumped down from the branch where he'd been lounging. "I haven't been able to see into your thoughts for a while. Your mental protections may have only been disrupted during your brief possession."

Her mind flashed back to moments that had felt more nightmarish than real.

"Stop," he said, coming to stand in front of her.

"Like a _book,_ " Shippo sang.

Hiei closed his eyes, barely repressing a sigh of irritation. "Your expressions are not a weakness, as my _lack_ is not a strength. These are merely aspects of who we are. The day I freely show my feelings is the day you'll know something is very wrong with me."

Her lips twitched as she tried to stifle a giggle. The thought of him dramatically whining or laughing like Shippo did on a constant basis was comically bad.

He tilted his head as he looked at her. "One day, you might trust me enough to realize that hiding what's on your mind is unnecessary." He glanced down, then cautiously held out his empty hand. She reached without thinking and placed her fingers on his palm.

Her hair barely fluttered as the power balanced between them. What did it mean that there was such a small reaction this time? She looked at their hands as her fingertips slid over his callouses. His warm fingers curled lightly around hers, and she looked up to meet his gaze.

* **As I expected, I'd need to be touching you to ever see into your mind again**.*

She felt warm and a bit short on words as she searched his eyes. She didn't understand what he wanted from her. The corner of his mouth twitched.

She felt like the answer was there just within reach, like she could sift through his thoughts and feelings as easily as he could her own if she just _tried_ , but the thought of knowing someone else so easily, so thoroughly, terrified her. She liked her safe assumptions, the distance, the _not knowing_ something that might break her understanding of the world around her.

Shippo crouched nearby, grinning up at them in amusement. "You two look really weird just standing there staring at each other."

Hiei slid his gaze away from her eyes and focused on the fox. * **Your charm ceases to work with her aid. What are you trying to keep hidden from me?** *

' _Not necessarily from you, but having you in my head made me realize I needed to be ready for others with similar abilities. There is too much at stake right now to be caught off guard._ '

With his attention elsewhere, it was easier for her to allow her mind to wander away from the mysteries of Hiei as they casually held hands. She closed her eyes and reached elsewhere with her magic, flowing easily past the edge of the shrine and out into the surrounding neighborhoods. She had to pull her attention back to feel for the edges of the shrine with careful restraint. Her range had drastically increased.

"Hey, wait a sec," Shippo said out loud. "Kagome, aren't you wearing a seal right now?"

She opened her eyes and frowned in confusion, then slipped her fingers beneath her shirt to feel for the edge of the little slip of paper that should be present. "Yes."

"But-"

She shrugged. "Maybe that's why there was only a little reaction. Or maybe I can still share even with a seal?"

"But it didn't do anything that first night we tested it," he murmured. "Maybe if you aren't trying to share? Or maybe it's just me…" Shippo stepped close to her other side and held out his hand with furrowed eyebrows. She took his fingers with her other hand and gasped as the magic jumped between the three of them.

Magic swelled, pressing uncomfortably against the seal over her abdomen. She shut her eyes and focused on intentionally forcing it back down. "Um," she started, repressing a shudder, "I think this is something I need to practice more." She swallowed and shivered against the force of the energy. "This feels important." She opened her eyes, wondering why neither of the two standing with her had said anything yet.

Hiei's eyes were closed, and he appeared to be deep in concentration.

Shippo stared at her with a small hint of wonder.

"What?" She asked.

His hand gently squeezed hers. "Your eyes are glowing." His expression brightened with mischief. "It takes two of us to bring out your inner light. I wonder what happens if we find a third?"

Hiei opened his eyes to glare at him. Her mouth dropped open before she let go of both of them and walked away, her face on fire again.

Shippo gasped in mock outrage. "I didn't say _anything_ dirty. You keep assuming my thoughts are all in the gutter!"

"Shippo," she said without stopping her brisk walk to the house, "Hiei can read your mind."

* * *

"Are you _helping_ her?" Shippo growled, clutching his side.

"She hardly needs help against the likes of _you_ ," Hiei said with a tiny smirk.

Shippo scowled at the interference, but readied himself for the next time a pebble rocketed his way. He turned into the slight impact and thrust his hand out, seeking with his magic for that tangible flame burning within the shorter youkai. He found it and _yanked_ , dragging Hiei from his perch in the tree to sling him into the path of her attempted strike. Kagome almost didn't notice in time to twist away, barely missing both males.

Shippo's control slipped and Hiei leapt to his feet to retaliate with a swift punch to the gut, but he missed by a hair as Shippo leapt backwards with a mischievous giggle.

"Shippo, that wasn't very safe. What if I'd hit him?"

"Sorry Kagome, I thought Hiei _wanted_ to participate."

She sighed and walked away. "I'm going inside for a drink."

* **I _am_ **participating. External distractions can be deadly if you cannot stay focused**.***

****

' _I've been fighting and surviving for longer than you've walked this earth. If you want to participate so badly I can show you just what her magic does.'_

***Anyone with eyes can see what it's doing to _you_. She's just blind.***

' _She needs to practice before she goes. If anything, you should be distracting **her**. Are you going to take one for the team and let her beat up on you?'_

***Goes _where?*_**

Shippo froze, not intending to reveal that. He instantly regretted leaving his charm inside the house. Now that Hiei knew what he'd been avoiding thinking about, the thoughts and plans fell out into the open, clear as day.

* **Have you _lost your fucking mind_?*** Hiei leapt at him again, fist on fire as he swung for the kitsune's face.

Shippo flipped backwards and had to roll sideways to dodge another blow. ' _It's not my idea! She wants to help him!'_

Hiei flashed forward and hooked his leg around the kitsune's knee. He twisted sharply, pulling him into a tumbling roll that ended with the red-head pinned face down beneath him with an arm twisted up against his spine and his hand over the back of his neck. Hiei pressed his face into the stone as he glared down at him. * **Have you considered that this weird little human psychic might be an _enemy_? You could be sending her right into a trap!***

' _You act like we haven't examined this from every angle for the last five hundred years! You know what?'_ Shippo shifted slightly in Hiei's tightening grip to peer up at him from the corner of one eye. ' _Go ahead and forbid her from going.'_ Shippo smirked, flashing the point of a fang. _'Try and convince her it's a bad idea. Suggest a thousand other ways for her to appease her need to help people._ '

Hiei narrowed his eyes. He could feel Shippo's growing amusement. ' _Time finds a way. If she's meant to go, chances are good she's just gonna fucking vanish one day, and maybe we won't have prepared her for whatever bullshit she ends up facing_.'

He let go of Shippo's arm and scowled down at him in irritation. ' _So I should take this as you like being on top?_ ' Hiei punched him in the back of the skull and stood, ignoring his whine about rough handling.

* * *

Later that night, the trio stood in the shadowy interior of the tiny wooden building, staring down into the dark depths of the ancient well.

Kagome whispered, "It feels like the well is sleeping. The magic is far away."

Shippo hummed in agreement. "When the others had to do that spell to get you home again, do you remember what was involved?"

Kagome shrugged. "Three youkai and a miko, they did some ceremony that looked like a retelling of the aspects of the jewel, held hands, and the magic woke up. It was just enough to get me through." She hugged her arms to her chest. "I was a little upset about everything that had happened, so I didn't pay close enough attention before I made that final trip home."

"Out of curiosity, can you hold our hands again, for just a moment? I want to see if it does anything."

She looked to Hiei to see if he'd participate and jumped when his fingers slid around her wrist. He seemed irritated but resigned to the idea that she might be going somewhere dangerous that they would not be able to keep her safe. She reached out a hand for Shippo next, shuddering when the magic woke with that strange intensity. Something deep within her abdomen ached, and she worried what would happen if she tried this without the seal to dampen the effects.

A dim flicker of light danced from the depths of the well, and Kagome felt Hiei tense.

Shippo's usual joking attitude smoothed into a serious frown at this sign of change. "We should get your supplies packed in case something wakes the magic unexpectedly. Your window to return might be short."

Kagome smirked and looked at him sideways. "You keep saying time finds a way. I'm not sure why you'd be worried about being so prepared for what sounds an awful lot like _fate_."

Shippo looked grim. "I'd really hate to discover that failing to prepare or missing a window of opportunity shows us some darker side of destiny. I'll contact Sesshoumaru to see if he can be our third for the next test."

"Should I mentally prepare myself for further antics once you've gotten him here, or can I consider him neutral territory?"

Shippo snickered. "I'll let you figure that one out yourself."

Kagome groaned in misery. She didn't even want to imagine how bad that might end up being.

She pulled free of their hands and crouched next to the wooden rim, peering carefully down into the faintly flickering depths. The magic was _just barely_ there, a gentle call tugging at her spirit. She smiled as joy bubbled up from within her at the thought of returning once more, even if only briefly, to the source of so many old memories to fix one last problem.

The magic remained for less than a minute, and she nodded to herself as it faded and fell back to sleep once more. She bit her lip as she stood, staring down at the now-quiet portal. Would the magic wake fully again one day, some long years after they'd all moved on from this world?

Both Hiei and Shippo agreed that Kagome needed more time with the touch-related power boost from the jewel so that she could learn its limitations and discover if there was a way to control or contain the effects. After dinner that evening, the three sat on her floor in silence.

"Did you wanna practice without the seal?"

She touched a hand to her shirt with a frown, pressing the fabric in until she could feel the paper tucked out of sight. "I don't think I'm ready for that, yet. It's already bordering on overwhelming. Maybe with more exposure and understanding I'll be ready to go further."

Shippo cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this!"

She turned her gaze to the side, pinning him with a warning look.

"What?" He waved his hands against her accusatory glare. "I'll be good."

Kagome glanced between the two of them. Hiei had closed his eyes, clearly irritated to be sitting within ten feet of the troublesome fox. "I wonder," she muttered. He cracked open one eye to peer at her in question. "I wonder what would happen if you two completed the circle. Holding hands, or touching in some way?"

She noticed his jaw clench briefly before he closed his eyes again. "If it becomes necessary to test such a thing, I will do so."

Shippo tapped his fingers lightly against the wall and she felt a barrier drop into place.

"You think it'll be that bad?"

"Better safe than sorry. Who knows what either of you are gonna be doing with all that power." He grinned. "I know what _I'm_ gonna be doing…"

"Barrier control," Kagome muttered, holding out her hands.

"Fire control," Shippo announced, taking her fingers with no small measure of glee.

"Mind control," Hiei glared at Shippo in challenge as he slid his fingers around hers.

Kagome sighed in irritation, sensing the brewing conflict already. "Let's try and be civil, okay?"

Ten minutes passed in relative silence, but Kagome started to get a little nervous as the hands she held began to feel warmer than what she considered to be normal, even for _them_.

"Tell me if you can feel this."

"I have a sword and can stab you. You _will_ feel that."

"Oh, don't be such a pussy. I'm just askin' can you feel _this_ ," Shippo's eyebrow twitched.

Hiei sucked in a short breath.

"Doesn't hurt, does it? I'm trying to keep it a light touch."

Shippo tilted his head as he slid intangible fingers around the brightness of Hiei's internal fire. He'd haphazardly yanked it around earlier that day in reckless retaliation for his interference, but there was no need for so much force if only a small amount of direction were necessary to—

He mentally cursed. Another flare of Kagome's magic rippled up his arm, dragging his attention away from his self-appointed task. Swallowing, he nudged Hiei's fire, attempting to lift the youkai into the air. The potential during fights if he could _levitate_ others—

Shippo shuddered. Hiei was using his stupid third eye to poke around in his head. He could _feel_ it sliding around into corners he didn't relish being exposed, but it was a small price to pay for this greater effort. What they did, what they worked toward, was bigger than any one of them. He just wasn't sure what the greater thing _was_ yet.

Hiei nudged into his control of fire, and Shippo's grip on the magic faltered. He felt amusement rippling through his thoughts as Hiei turned the magic back on him right as Kagome's power flared again. Shippo shuddered violently as his concentration broke and Hiei dropped with a slight thump back to the floor.

"You're both getting very warm. Can you dial it down some?" She whispered, her eyes closed as she focused on the details of her barrier around the shrine.

 ***Yes, tone it down some, you** **'re burning up over there.***

Shippo's face turned red. ' _I'll show you burning up if you don't stop going on about it._ '

***I'll rip off your arm and beat you with it if you dare touch me.***

He leaned forward and met Hiei's angry red gaze, biting his lip as he grinned. His fang drew a droplet of blood and Hiei's eyes flicked down to the crimson spot. ' _Would you put your hands all over me to tear me apart? I'm sure she'll put me back together again, but she might be angry at you for making a mess. You'd like that, though, wouldn't you. Getting your hands dirty for the simple pleasure of it_.' Shippo could barely restrain his glee at the way Hiei's pupils dilated, betraying his interest even as he sneered in disgust.

***What is _wrong_ with you?***

' _I'm special_.'

"Okay, that's the exact _opposite_ of what I requested, Shippo!" She released both of them, waving her hands as though to shake free of the burning heat lingering in her fingertips.

 ***You really need to tell her what her magic does to you before you dig yourself into a hole so deep that you can't escape.*** He paused, watching as Shippo turned his gaze aside and licked the blood from his lip. * **Or fucking leave already. She and I can practice without you here.** *

' _No damned way._ ' Shippo scowled. He wasn't going to reveal anything like that if he didn't need to. He didn't want her to hold back from her practices just because he was uncomfortable.

* **Uncomfortable is a hilarious understatement. I don't remember the last time I saw someone fight against their own nature so hard.** *

Shippo scowled at the younger youkai. He plucked his charm off the bedside table and stuffed it into his pocket, ready to shut the irritating fire youkai out of his head. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up doing something he'd regret.

Kagome in pajamas, curled in his arms and fast asleep, and all was right once more.

He brushed his fingertips over her forehead, curious why the magic remained dormant.

"It's either in her hands, or simply that she's the one reaching," came Hiei's quiet observation. "She's been worrying about it most of the day. About accidental activation, or her enemies finding a way through her defenses."

Shippo sighed, nuzzling his face into the hair behind her neck. "We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen."

Hiei stared at what little he could see of bright red hair peeking over her neck and shoulder. "Will you always be by her side?"

Shippo moved just enough to peer over her. "Will _you_?"

Hiei stared at him. "Neither of us can follow where she plans to go."

"Guess we better make sure she's ready, then."

Shortly after breakfast the next morning, Shippo presented her with a cute little pouch (yellow, in honor of her well-worn backpack) laced with sneaky kitsune magic that hid a much larger interior. Souta snickered and said it was like a _bag of holding_ from one of his video games. Kagome absolutely did not understand the reference.

"Even if you're only going to be there for a single afternoon, I want to make sure you're prepared for something unexpected. With you, Kagome, _nothing_ is simple."

Dried foods, a first aid kit ("But I don't need those anymore!" she argued, to which he replied with a cocked eyebrow, "Who says it's for you?" She let him tuck the box away without another word), a fancy water purifying device, and a few changes of clothes _just_ in case.

She grumbled the entire time. "You know, this won't be my first foray into the unknown."

He shrugged and smiled. "This is the first time I can help you prepare, though! I don't know who will be around to support you, and _what if you're stuck somewhere awful for months?_ " He stared at her with all teasing wiped from his expression. "Plan for the worst, hope for the best." He opened her box of seals and put an entire handful of the small slips into a side pocket.

"You're right." She pushed an extra pair of socks under the changes of clothing.

He laughed and ruffled her hair so hard that she tipped over sideways with a giggling protest.

The trip-readied pouch was unbelievably lightweight. "Magic," he explained. It was not much of an explanation.

"If the magic breaks, will I be left with a terribly heavy and humongous pouch held up by a single strap to lug painfully around the great unknown?"

He seriously thought about it for a moment. "It's possible. Don't worry about bringing it home if something horrible happens. Just bring yourself." He hung it in the wellhouse next to her quiver and bow, ready to go whenever the time came.

Sesshoumaru declined to come for their tests, stating only that completing the circle should be all that they'd need to get her going. How he _knew_ that was a mystery he'd try (and likely fail) to pry out of him at a later time.

The trio continued to practice over the next week as Kagome grew more and more nervous. Something was coming, she'd say. Some unknown force, a nagging sensation, occasionally tugged at her heart and made her feel antsy. "I wish you'd stay long enough to meet Angara," Shippo pouted. "Surely you can wait another week?"

Kagome frowned with a hand over her heart. "I don't know."

"But if you leave me here alone with _him_ we might get into a fight," he whined.

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"When you leave, I have a task I must accomplish. I will return within a few days. Do not fear for the kitsune's life in your absence."

Shippo gasped. "You're _both_ leaving me? What the heck am I supposed to do?"

Hiei glared. "Practice. Meditate. Protect this land."

"Well, duh. But who am I gonna play with?"

Kagome pressed her hand to her face. "You can't self-entertain for a little while?"

His shoulders slumped. "I _guess_ I can."

She laughed. "You're such a child!"

He stuck his tongue out in response.

Kagome woke on Thursday morning to a sharp pain in her chest. She rolled onto her back, gasping as she clutched the fabric over her heart. Shippo had already scrambled back to give her space, staring down into her face with concern. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, staring above her as a weird light flickered in her vision. Another sharp pain thrummed, and now that she was awake, she could feel it was pulsing through her in a specific direction. She sat up and waited for it to come again, confirming her suspicion.

"It's time," she said.

"What? How do you know?"

"This—" another pulling pressure, less painful but no less insistent. "It feels like something is pulling on my heart toward the well. It's _really weird_ but impossible to miss."

Shippo sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Shit."

Her pouch had been packed and her quiver and bow were waiting by the door. "Do you have time for breakfast or are you _leaving now_?"

"Quick breakfast after I change."

Shippo pressed his lips together and fetched her outfit before heading downstairs to get something for her to eat. Hiei paused at her window, looking back at her for a moment before he dropped out of sight.

Kagome raced to the bathroom to get ready to go. She'd tried on the bodysuit with the priestess garb a few times before to get used to the fastenings, so it wasn't too much trouble to throw everything on even with the energy tugging at her to _go_. She pocketed the strange silver communicator that she _still had no idea how to use_ and walked quickly downstairs.

Her mother sat quietly at the kitchen table with a mug of tea held loosely in her hands, a worried smile on her lips. "I'll pray for your safe and quick return," she murmured, standing to press a kiss to Kagome's forehead.

"Thanks, Mama." Kagome threw her arms around the older woman to give her a tight hug. Shippo handed her something to eat as they slipped out the front door. "You'll say bye to Souta and Grandpa for me, in case I'm not back right away?"

Shippo nodded. "I really wasn't expecting this to happen so suddenly. This _sucks,_ " he muttered.

She laughed and poked him in the ribs with her elbow. "We did what we could with our time to prepare. I feel like I'll be able to handle some trouble."

Hiei stood with his arms folded in front of the closed well house doors. He frowned a little at her appearance. "Your hair is a liability. You might consider pinning it up so an enemy cannot catch hold of it during a fight."

She grinned. "We've been practicing combat all week and you just _now_ thought to suggest that?"

He shrugged, turning _just_ a bit pink as he looked away. "The white of your outfit draws attention to your hair." He withdrew something from his sleeve as Shippo pulled open the doors to step inside the darkness. Hiei held it out for her to take, and she palmed the dark metal with a curious expression.

"A knife?" She pulled it free from the sheath and admired its charcoal coloring.

"A _good_ knife. I do not expect you to fight with it, but I've heard humans sometimes find them useful when they are far from home."

She smiled brilliantly at him and tucked it into her sleeve. He stepped closer, nudging his presence into her space as he quietly stared at her.

"I'll try to come back soon," she said.

"Feel free to murder on my behalf any that would harm you."

She laughed.

"If you two are done kissing goodbye, can we get on with this?"

"We aren't kissing!" she protested.

"You should be!" came his reply. "I'll kiss him for you after you go, you chicken!"

"I will not be around long enough for him to try," he muttered.

She stared at him, a blush rising on her cheeks. He stared right back, motionless.

Shippo poked his head out of the building and groaned in exasperation. " _Kagome_ , you are _hopeless_. He's _obviously_ waiting for you to make the first move!" They both turned to glare at him. He tsked in exaggerated disappointment. "Looks like I need to teach both of you a few things." He sighed and shook his head, disappearing into the darkness once more.

Blushing furiously, she folded her arms over her chest and peeked at Hiei. He thrust his hands in his pockets and watched her from the corner of his eyes. "Um, next time," she whispered, looking away.

He hummed and strode into the darkness ahead of her.

With only three of them, they couldn't circle the well like the others had done to help her get home, but after seeing the magic lingering for a minute after they'd attempted this earlier that week, she knew they'd have time. Shippo held out her pouch and she slung it over her back before shouldering her quiver and bow.

"You have your thing from Koenma?" He asked, and she nodded, patting the small lump in her pocket. "Alright then, let's get this show on the road." He held out his hands for theirs with a smile.

She wasn't sure what she'd expected to happen when they completed the circle, but _this_ was definitely not it. The magic jumped in pressure and she shuddered as it pushed hard against the seal she wore. The light within the well flared brightly and the sound of ghostly chimes tinkled from deep within the ground. A pleasantly addicting warmth slid up her arms and through her body as echoes of thoughts from the two that held her hands bounced through her mind, and then someone let go, snapping the circle of power. The glow around them remained, and she blinked in confusion at the other two as they looked at each other.

"That was new," Shippo remarked before he glanced over his shoulder. "You better get going while the magic's still good."

He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead before skipping back a step. "Don't keep us waiting too long."

She nodded, her eyes wide. She licked her lips. "Um, let's try that again when I get back," she said, looking away from them both.

Shippo snickered.

Hiei still held her hand. * **Stay safe**.* His eyes glowed in the darkness. He squeezed her fingers gently before letting go and stepping back.

She took a breath and stepped onto the rim, looking back at them with a little smile. "Be back soon!"

And then she dropped into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (cries) Shippo and Hiei will be on vacation for the next six or so (edit: more like sixteen) chapters.  
> bye, boys :( :(


	11. The Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is circular. What happened before will actually happen later so that what happened next can happen ... wait. Yesterday? Next week. Eventually.

\- _1501_ -

Her slide through time was _almost_ normal, but as the rift began to close around her, instead of the pale blue-black sparkles fading gradually back into the _between_ , the power ominously sputtered out as her feet touched dirt once more. She frowned and looked up to see the dim outline of a wooden ceiling overhead. At first, she thought she hadn't gone anywhere, but then she realized the structure wasn't _quite_ right. The wooden slats overhead seemed very new, and there was a definite freshness to the air, even within the dry well's interior. She blinked in the dim light at a very new ladder fastened to the stone wall.

"Helpful," she muttered, pulling herself up the sturdy addition.

She eased herself up and onto the lip of the well, shaking out her sleeves and adjusting the strap of her pouch before standing to walk toward the bright light spilling through the entrance. She guessed they hadn't installed the sliding doors, yet.

"You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

Kagome whirled with a gasp, squinting into the darkness.

"What the… _why_ would you just sit in the dark to startle someone like that?"

"If I'd said something earlier, I expect you'd have fallen off that ladder, but this is turning into a terrible introduction."

Despite him calling _her_ short, a little human that couldn't be more than a few inches taller than her stood a short distance away with a ridiculous grin on his deeply tanned face. "I am Biraat-Mahmati Tek. You may call me Tek." His hand flipped in an elegant twirl as he bowed deeply, and little metallic adornments on his collar tinkled with the motion. "It's heartening to see that things happen correctly _despite_ being completely out of order."

She nodded slowly, looking at him in curiosity. "So, you … haven't met Shippo yet to give him his message."

He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. But things will work out. You did come here for a very important purpose, even if today is not the day I will be able to go home."

"Where's home, and how am I supposed to be able to help you?"

He laughed. "My home is not far from this place, but I'm about 780 years too early."

She stared at him, then glanced at the well. "Do you need a spell to get through, like I did?"

He shook his head with a smile Kagome might have categorized as patronizing, but this little man seemed _weird_ enough that it was probably not meant that way. "A spell, how quaint."

He sighed and indicated that they sit. "Go ahead and bring out that breakfast you neglected to eat. This might take some time to explain."

Kagome stared at him, her brain refusing to catch up to the oddity of this…human? She tilted her head and squinted, searching for any indication that he was anything _but_ human. A tickle of weird energy brushed her senses, and he seemed to _buzz_ with a very subtle electric hum. She sat and pulled out her breakfast and offered him a piece.

He accepted it with a bright smile. "You'll understand this a bit better than the people 'round here can, but that thing you've got going on there?" he gestured at her vaguely. "It's a natural occurrence of something scientists develop in the late 21st century." He took a bite and chewed, nodding to himself.

"That thing? My… magic?"

He laughed. "Magic? Girl, you know just as well as I do that everything that has been considered _magic_ throughout the ages has _eventually_ been explained by science." He looked her over with a critical gaze. A vaguely noticeable flash of green briefly appeared in his right eye. "But no, I speak of the _other_ thing. The source of power that has been insulated with some _primitive_ coding." He huffed and chuckled. "No wonder it only lasts such a short period of time. Ingenious for the lack of resources, though," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "I'm a little impressed."

"You mean the jewel? I wouldn't really call that a _natural_ occurrence, because it required some really bad stuff to happen…"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, sure, but what I _mean_ is this: what you have wasn't made in a lab. It _wasn_ _'t_ mass-produced for general use. And the future variety didn't require anyone to die during manufacturing." He paused, a hand on his chin as he stared off into the distance. "I think."

He brought his attention back to her and folded his hands in his lap. "Eventually, the interaction between positive and negative energy that occurs naturally in what you people call _magical_ beings is going to power everything from comms to hovers. Normally these things regenerate on their own, but I busted mine during my very first trip, and I've been stuck here for a while."

Her mouth fell open. _Magic_. Being used like _electricity_? She pushed that from her thoughts. If she could only barely comprehend how much had been accomplished with technology between this era and her time after a decade of education, she would _never_ be able to fully grasp whatever ingenuity had been developed in the hundreds of years after _her normal_.

She took a deep breath, focusing on the _now_. "Okay, so how am I supposed to help you?"

"You're the only one that has access to this naturally occurring source of power for the next few centuries. I'd like to propose a trade. If you can recharge me, I'll be able to get home again."

"Wouldn't another person from your time be able to come back and get you?"

Tek laughed nervously. "Well, it would probably help my case if I'd _not_ taken the only prototype for a quick spin."

"You brought… the only device that does this traveling?" Her suspicion jumped through the roof. Had he stolen a prototype? She bit her lip and watched him carefully. "Is it something you made?"

He nodded, beaming with pride. "My team worked on this iteration for _years_." Kagome relaxed marginally. This reaction oozed genuine affection for the people he'd worked with. "I was only supposed to go forward a few minutes, but I _sneezed_ and fell and…" he seemed completely flabbergasted. "No one _sneezes_ anymore. Genetic modifications wiped out histamine reactions like that to help avoid spreading newly mutating diseases..." he trailed off. "I digress. Something absolutely unheard of happened, and I fell. I ended up traveling in the wrong direction, my power source broke, and I got stuck with no way for my team to fetch me. The last iteration we built had a special component that we weren't sure would work, and I'm certain they aren't going to risk trying the same thing over again with me _gone_."

He grimaced. "If anything, they probably think I'm dead."

She thought back to the first time she'd fallen through the well. Vanishing without a trace, and no one knowing where she'd gone or if she'd come back… She knew exactly how it must have felt for this little man. "How long have you been stuck here?"

He tapped a fingertip to his chin. "Hummmm… Almost thirty years, now." He sighed heavily. "I _really_ miss home."

Kagome blinked in surprise. This guy couldn't be _that_ old. She shook her head with a sympathetic smile. She couldn't fathom being stuck here away from her home and those she loved for that many years. "Why didn't you come see me earlier? I've been in and out of this era for the last few years."

He laughed. "My dear young lady, you wouldn't have been able to help me until _after_ that dark friend of yours broke open the power, which was…" he paused, and another flash of green light appeared in his eye. "For you, twenty-two days ago."

Her mouth fell open. Dark friend… _Hiei?_ She pressed a hand to her side where the empty shell of the jewel still rested, feeling a bit numb. Hiei had been the one to break open the seal on the jewel? She turned her gaze back to the well.

Their minds had been connected during her possession. She'd _felt_ his shock when she'd given him the details of their dire situation. But was that _his truth_?

Could he lie with his thoughts?

Feign surprise at the secrets she'd revealed as she'd begged for his help?

A small motion to her side caught her attention, and she remembered she had an audience. She blinked rapidly, unsure of herself and worried about what she may have gotten herself into. But then she remembered, "You mentioned some kind of trade?"

"Oh, right! Ok here's the deal, it's not so much of a trade as it is that you need an upgrade, and it's _written in the stars_ ," he paused here to giggle at the phrasing, "that you've got to get it from somewhere, and I'm _assuming_ it's from me, unless you're somehow…" he trailed off. "Immortal?" He shrugged, looking her up and down. "Hmm, scans aren't showing anything weird going on with your bio-signature, so I don't know if that's the case."

"An upgrade? Of what?" She glanced down at herself. " _Scans_?"

"Your _vesper_ from Corporate. It's an old model, but I can transfer an updated OS. You just need to tap the OK button to accept."

She pressed a hand to her forehead as she stared at him in confusion and disbelief, wishing she had her brother here to translate. She hadn't had hardly any time to work with the electronic toys that Souta loved so much.

"I mean, you _did_ get a comms unit, right?" He paused, staring off into the distance. "Yeah, you did, I see you pulling it out of your pocket."

She reached into her pocket and looked down at the shiny silver thing.

> **9:37am, 04/28/1501**

' _Oh, wow. This shows today_ _'s_ _ **actual** date._' She turned it over in her hand, examining its strange appearance and smooth structure. "I'm not even sure what this is supposed to be for, or how to use it. No one gave me any instructions."

Tek shrugged. "They usually have the manual built in, but you have to know how to get to it. Anyways, trade. Upgrade in exchange for a recharge?"

She didn't really have much to lose. If whatever upgrade he did broke the device, all she'd really lose out on would be some magic, and that seemed to regenerate unbelievably fast nowadays. She nodded, and he held out his arm. "I don't mean to be weird, but the newer models are embedded so they're harder to lose. Just put your hand on my arm for a minute or two and I think that'll be it."

She reached out for his skin with a little trepidation. Here was the moment of truth. Hopefully he hadn't just given her a sad story just to get her to let her guard down so he could do something nefarious.

The dancing energies caused a breeze to pick up around them, ruffling clothes and hair. She watched, fascinated, as his right eye started to flicker with that dim light she'd noticed earlier before it began to glow a bright electric green. Her interest in the light was broken by a weird crawling sensation tickling up her palm where it rested against his skin. "Ok! That should be plenty." He extricated his arm from her hold and smiled broadly. "This is perfect! It worked better than I expected it to. Fascinating!"

She turned her hand up to stare at the unblemished skin, rubbing her palm with her thumb as the twitching sensation drifted up her arm and faded into nothingness. _That was weird_. "So… are you going to be sticking around for the next… what, fifteen-something years? Until you meet my friend?"

He nodded with a grimace. "It'll actually be twenty-five years."

Kagome flinched. _Yikes._

"I've looked ahead. I have enough power to get home right now, but that's not how things are meant to happen." He sighed in regret. "I'll have to wait it out to make sure he gets the message at the right time. I've seen I'll be leaving after that's done. I didn't expect to have to rough it this long without automatic transportation and air conditioning." He sighed in exasperation. "So much _walking_. Small price to pay for getting to be the first to do this kind of stuff, though."

He glanced at her with a short laugh. "I mean, the first to do it with technology; you're the first to get to wing it with _magic_." He shook his head, muttering, "Magic. Hah."

He stood and stretched with a sigh of relief. "Brilliant. Anyways, I really can't thank you enough. Can I hold your vesper? I'll upload the software." She handed it over and watched as he rotated it in his hands, flicking fingers over the screen as he skimmed lines of rapidly moving text. He held it up to his face for a few moments, his right eye wide open and glowing. She heard a very tiny beep just before he finally blinked.

A significant spark of power zipped into her fingertips as he handed the small device back to her, and she gasped as her heart skipped a beat. That was either the largest burst of static electricity she'd ever experienced, or it had been _something else_.

He didn't seem to notice the weird punch of energy nor her reaction to it. "That should be it. Just tap the button when it asks if you want to install the upgrade."

Rubbing her chest in confusion, she peered down at the brightly lit screen and tapped it to start the update. A progress bar popped up, hovering an inch over the interface like a shining ribbon of dancing light that shimmered with a rainbow of colors.

They heard the clatter of a broom and a small gasp, "Kagome-sama?"

She turned to see one of the new apprentice girls she had met shortly before she'd returned to her own time just a year prior. "Noriko-chan? Oh my gosh, you've gotten so much taller!" She smiled warmly at her, excited to see someone she remembered. "Is anyone else around?"

"No, Kagome-sama, there was a disturbance to the north. Kaede-sama is in the village helping a mother with her labor."

Tek looked sheepish. "Sorry about this, but the futures show that your old team does not see you this visit, and I don't think we'll want to try to break the cycle of events. You'll need to go again, soon, anyways."

Kagome nodded, not really understanding. "Is there anything about this," she held up her device, "that I should know?"

Tek shrugged and smiled a little crookedly. "Meh, probably. It's not for me to say, today. We'll meet again, I'm sure." He paused, staring off into the distance as that tiny green light shimmered in his eye. "Oh, _flak_. Yes, we'll definitely meet again. I'll need another visit with you before I can _actually_ leave." He sighed and gave her a little bow. "Until we meet again, young lady!"

Her little device made a soft trilling sound, and she glanced down at the notification that appeared.

> **Upcoming meeting, 5pm, Location: [REDACTED]. Would you like to join meeting in progress? [YES] [NO]**

Confused and a little curious, she tapped the 'yes' button and sucked in a startled breath when a tendril of energy reached from the device through her hand and into her chest to grasp at something deep within her and _yanked_ her through the void. Her body suffused with bright light and her surroundings dissolved. She felt as though she were floating for a moment before her feet touched a solid surface and her hair fluttered down around her shoulders. Her weight suddenly came back and she barely caught herself from collapsing.

' _Whoa_.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was mostly written back in July with some touches added these last few weeks. Kind of an information dump for Kagome, and sadly she has even _more_ questions now than the few she managed to get answered. Where is she heading to next? (evil laughter) The answer to that, dear readers, might be another week away, but I hope a three chapter update was enough brain-food for now.


	12. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shippo had been right. Her luck had indeed dropped her into the middle of the blasted affair with no earthly idea what the heck was going on.

\- _1650_ \- 

The light was _blinding_. She heard a few noises of surprise and the scuffle of chairs as various weapon were drawn. "Enma, who the hell is this?" an angry, unfamiliar voice demanded. She tensed, a brief moment of terror flashing through her. Someone could easily lash out at her unexpected arrival and kill her where she stood while she couldn't see anything to defend herself.

"A snack, looks like," muttered a grouchy male, which was followed swiftly by a loud smack. "Give me a break, it was just a _joke_."

Joking was good. Joking meant she might live to see tomorrow.

A few seconds later, the light faded enough to see where she was. She took a steadying breath and blinked the blur from her spotted vision to stare around the room at the various occupants while searching for the closest exit.

She immediately recognized two of the people present. "Oh! Sesshoumaru-sama! And Koenma-sama…" she trailed off and glanced down at her device to check the date. ' _8/12/1650?_ ' Her gaze drifted to the box of text that popped up helpfully on the screen. ' _Meeting agenda: Great War's casualties are close to reaching Reikai's capacity. Need solutions. See attachments for further details_.'

She mentally groaned. If this was the same Great War, Shippo had been _right_. Her luck had indeed dropped her into the middle of the blasted affair with no earthly idea what the heck was going on. She peered closer at the small text in confusion. There should be no such things as _attachments_ hundreds of years before computers were invented. What the heck kind of weird technology was this? She refrained from shaking the _vesper_ like she wanted to. She was _not_ a cave-dwelling fool. She was a capable girl from the future that would _probably_ (eventually) figure out how to use the tools at her disposal.

Sesshoumaru, whose reactions and battle instincts had been honed from centuries of strife and conflict, was absolutely unimpressed by randomly appearing females. He watched with thinly veiled disgust as a majority of the room's occupants were startled into sudden commotion at the unannounced arrival. He noticed as Koenma's slight surprise thinned out and ended in a short laugh before he closed a well-worn notebook with a shake of his head.

His eyebrow twitched in mild irritation as he briefly closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. The _only_ reason he'd attended this gathering was out of morbid curiosity to see what idiotic plan the Reikai had in mind regarding their current troubles.

Reckless and idiotic struggles for control over the lands had stretched well beyond their island territories into the mainland. Even their carefully protected communities were at risk, as imbeciles thought they could or should intrude on the bordering lands and roads. He had plenty in his guard that enjoyed taking care of the encroaching troubles, but he grew weary of having to kill so many that dared to steal from or murder innocent travelers in the lands between. He'd begun to suspect some illness must have affected the brains of both human and youkai, alike.

He remembered this woman from 150 years ago, partly due to Shippo's relentless storytelling about his adventures with the time-traveling girl from the future. He had been present when she'd left their time to return to her home hundreds of years in the future. He'd even participated in their strange little ritual to reopen the well's magic for her final trip through time.

He hadn't anticipated that she'd literally drop into this meeting that, until that moment, had been a complete waste of his time and energy. To see her back again was an interesting development, one that held promise, given the timing of her arrival.

He raised his eyebrow and clasped his fingers together on the tabletop. He gave her the smallest inclination of his head and said, "Miko," in what passed for a greeting.

A tiny, thankful smile crept over her lips as she nodded back. She hadn't realized how tense she'd been until that moment. She'd held her energy close while in the presence of so many unknown _and powerful_ individuals. Now that he'd shown he recognized her and announced her status, she felt herself relax. She allowed some of her energy to slip free and follow her natural inclination to get a feel for the room's other occupants. A dozen completely unfamiliar strangers stared at her. Two visibly flinched as her energy swept the room: a tall youkai male with long, crazy white hair and a scowl on his face, and the imposing not-youkai-nor-human figure sitting at the head of the table. Something was _wrong_ with that one, and Kagome frowned in concern.

"A miko? _Here_?" The crazy-looking one blurted, slamming his hand down on the table.

"Now, now, having another mortal representative is no cause for alarm," said a human male sitting across the table from where Kagome stood.

"Says the mortal who is _in no danger_ ," growled a humongous youkai male that sat on the floor instead of a chair.

"No one is in any danger here. This is a peaceful gathering." This response came from a tall, quiet male with a few too many ears and horns. His eyes remained conspicuously closed.

Koenma beckoned to a vaguely familiar girl standing along one of the walls with an armful of scrolls. He whispered something to her and waved in Kagome's direction. Her eyes wide and glimmering, she hurried over and leaned close to speak quietly as the others argued. "Kagome-sama! I'm Hisako. I studied under Noriko-sama."

Kagome's eyes widened. This girl became Noriko-chan's apprentice? Her lips curled in absolute delight to see the progression of knowledge through the generations.

"I'm ever so pleased to finally meet you in person!" She pulled an empty seat toward the table before gesturing, "Please, sit down. Can I get you any refreshments?"

"Koenma, you also know this girl?" the tall, imposing figure asked from his seat at the end of the long table.

She glanced at the male sitting two seats away to her left that, despite being hundreds of years younger than the last time she'd seen him, still looked exactly the same. A distinct blush flushed across his cheeks at the sudden attention. She blinked in surprise. ' _If he's met me before today, then I really hope I haven't already made a fool of myself…_ ' She gave him what _she hoped_ was a pleasant smile and prayed that he didn't have some really embarrassing response to the question. "Er, yes Father, I've spoken briefly with Kagome-sama. It's been a while."

She marginally relaxed. There was still plenty of time for mortifying recollections to come to light. She watched him with interest as he got up to stand close to his father's chair and spoke quietly to explain further.

Kagome turned her attention to Hisako who still stood patiently at her elbow. "Yes, thank you. Some tea would be nice." Hisako nodded and hurried from the room. The elder watched her as his son spoke but did not seem particularly impressed, which seemed to indicate Koenma hadn't revealed any _interesting_ details about her. She kept her fingers crossed that he held his secrets close (whatever they might be) until she could speak with him in privacy.

Koenma finished speaking with his father and straightened, requesting to switch spots with the green-haired female sitting next to Kagome. She shrugged and took Koenma's original seat, and he sat a little closer than she'd have liked under normal circumstances. He leaned toward her and asked quietly, "How many times have we met, now?"

"Just on the day that you gave me this," she started to hold out her device, but he casually put his hand over it, nodding.

"I see. This is an interesting development. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon, but I've been doing some research with Hisako, and just a few weeks ago we may have come up with a solution to one of your problems." 

She had met him only briefly in the future, but his behavior then had been hastily explained away as _Hisako_ telling him all about her story. His current behavior —and lack of personal space— showed her that had been a complete ruse and that he'd met her at least once even before this moment in the past. She turned her eyes up to the ceiling, sending a mental prayer to whomever might be listening to _please_ put her life events in correct order so she could maintain a shred of her sanity.

She turned her attention back to him, absolutely no clue what she might have told him about. ' _ **One** of my problems?_' She nervously twiddled her fingers, wondering what the heck kinds of problems he knew about that she did _not_. As far as she could tell, the only problem she _had_ was the inability to… she paused, thinking. How the heck was she supposed to get home? _There's_ a problem.

Hisako returned after a moment. She held a delicate teacup on a saucer which she placed in front of Kagome along with a pair of pale grey gloves. "Thank you, Hisako. That will be all for now." Hisako nodded brightly and stood back against the far wall, waiting in case she was needed again. "I wasn't sure what color you'd prefer, but I believe this will be of some use."

She picked up the gloves and fingered the soft fabric. Tiny symbols were stitched into the hem along the cuffs. She pulled on the left and flexed her hand, interested in the slight fuzzing of magic that seeped into her skin. She hummed thoughtfully. A problem she'd forgotten about was accidentally sharing power through touch. It would be a little problematic if she accidentally did it in this room full of unknowns and revealed something to the wrong person. She turned to him with a soft smile. "Thank you," she murmured. "They're lovely."

He ducked his head to hide his expression. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, but his smile was a bit strained. She wondered at this. What had happened to cause him to be so familiar with her, yet squirming as though he felt bad about sitting beside her?

"Sorry about the surprise visit. This is the first time I've done… this." She waved vaguely around the room with her bare hand, and he nudged her with his elbow to put the other glove on. She tugged the smooth material over her fingers and leaned closer as they both looked down at the tiny illuminated screen. "I'm supposed to be here for some reason to discuss this..." she squinted at the minuscule text. "War?"

She tapped on the first attachment and skimmed the summary. "Geez. 50 years, now? I have never regretted turning down history lessons _so much,_ " she muttered quietly.

She hummed in thought, looking around at the room filled with unnaturally powerful leaders discussing their problem, and a not-too-distant memory clicked into place. Shippo had _tried_ to tell her about this war, but it never failed that he'd pull out the least interesting stories when she was ready to drop off into much needed rest. But then, she'd _heard_ this story before, hadn't she? Once, from the Goshinboku, during one of its meandering storytelling sessions while she'd had the brief ability to hear its words. Something about the gods having to make a difficult choice to separate the warring sides. Was _this_ the same thing Shippo had been trying to tell her about?

She frowned and tapped a gloved fingertip to her lip, thinking quickly. She motioned for Koenma's strange pen and his notebook. He gave her a funny look but turned to a blank sheet and pushed it in her direction. In small text, she wrote a carefully worded question. "How many realms are there, currently?"

He murmured quietly, "Four."

She turned to stare at him in bewilderment. _What?_

She shook her head. Trying again, she wrote, "Has the Makai been split apart from the Ningenkai, yet?"

He lifted an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head with a quiet, "No."

"Enma, we do not have time for this. I believe we should cease these pointless discussions so that I might rejoin my warriors."

The tall being at the end of the table nodded. "We have joined here today to discuss peaceful resolutions to the war. The stakes have risen beyond acceptable limits, and we have all agreed that the next major battle will result in far too much loss and destruction. Our offices are nearly at capacity right now. Renovations and expansions have already begun, but they'll not be completed for the next few decades. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

One of the larger youkai with a great ruff of red fur thumped a clawed fist against his chest. "The humans should just surrender their lands to us. We were born greater and shall always be greater, regardless of their little weapons and rapid breeding."

Exasperated sounds echoed around the room.

Kagome immediately raised her hand.

Enma's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Yes?"

"What is the root cause of this war?" Several looks of confusion were shot her way, but she shrugged. "If this war has been going on for so long, surely someone knows _why_ it's happening?" It seemed like a valid question, both for someone who had lived through the last 50 years as well as someone who had been living under the proverbial rock by ignoring her magical history lessons. (She promised herself she'd apologize to Shippo when and if she got home again.)

There was silence around the table for a moment. Koenma cleared his throat and summarized, "Essentially it boils down to disagreements between the mortals and magical creatures. Land ownership, who should rightfully rule, and whether it's fair to eat the mortals."

"They reproduce so damned _fast_ , I don't see why not," the wild one groused.

One of the humans replied, "Raizen, when the things you're eating are complaining about being eaten, it might be a good time to find something _else_ to sate your appetite."

Kagome nodded. ' _Normal war stuff, minus the eating. If I didn't already know how they worked things out, this would be a tricky one to solve_.'

"Where I come from, humans and most magical creatures live in separate realms. Maybe that's the solution here. Give them their own lands and they won't be mashed together to fight anymore." She noticed Koenma nodding along beside her, a thoughtful expression on his face as he flipped through his well-worn notebook.

"What do you mean, _most_?" The voices of two individuals she didn't know overlapped. "What do you mean, _where you come from_?"

"Well, there are exceptions to every rule. _I'm_ technically magical, but I'm also mortal, and so I lived in the mortal realm," she clarified. She wasn't sure how to give additional details on the _where_ question without opening a veritable can of worms all over the meeting room table.

"What you're suggesting…" Enma started to say, narrowing his eyes at her.

Sesshoumaru interjected, "This realm was created in such a manner. Reikai and Earth separated several thousand years ago."

"But the number of souls in circulation at that time was minuscule in comparison! The amount of _power_ required for such a spell at this point—"

Kagome leaned forward. "Excuse me, but is there even someone _here_ that can accomplish such a spell, given enough power?"

There was a pregnant pause around the table before Enma answered with no small amount of suspicion. "Yes."

Feeling excited about the resolution to their issues dangling just within reach, Kagome was ready to blurt out her plan, but Koenma placed his hand on her arm to give her a warning squeeze. She stopped to look at him in surprise. ' _Why is he being so familiar with me_?'

"Father, I believe we might have an option that will work. May I request a recess for the day to discuss details with Kagome-sama about what will be required?"

Enma nodded and waved his hand. Some attendees stood and began speaking amongst themselves, a few shot curious and suspicious glances in Kagome's direction, and Kagome found herself staring down at the hand still on her sleeve in confusion. "Sesshoumaru-sama," Koenma stood and helped the befuddled Kagome to her feet. "If you'll accompany us?"

They stepped into another room, where a pulse of ki sealed the interior against eavesdroppers. "How you drop in out of nowhere like this is going to end up getting you in trouble or killed one of these days."

She grimaced. "Yeah, one of these days."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I understand you're familiar with Kagome-sama."

She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Familiar might be too strong of a word. Former allies is probably closer to the truth, unless something _really_ crazy happened in the last 150 years."

A silver brow arched.

Kagome shrugged, "Anyways, Sesshoumaru-sama is the only youkai in that room that I feel like I can trust with this thing." She waved her hands vaguely before turning to Koenma. "How much do you already know?"

He rolled a shoulder. "Enough to know that if _you_ don't trust any of the others with this, then we _probably_ shouldn't."

She nodded, frowning. "How much power do you think that spell would require?"

"I wasn't around for the first casting that made Reikai a separate place. My father's right, though, the number of souls that would be affected is exponentially greater." He pulled a small blue bauble out of his pocket and waved it with meaning. "If he hasn't been storing up his power for such an emergency, then we'll need everything you can provide."

She stared at the odd little thing between his fingers. It looked _almost_ like a baby's pacifier.

"Is your father the only one that can cast that spell?"

"One day, such a thing might fall to me, but right now he is the only one. Why?"

"Something about him… feels _wrong_."

"He can be a bit overbearing, bossy, and maybe even a bit cruel…" Koenma shrugged. "That's just how some people in charge are."

The tall youkai frowned. "If one cannot lead and inspire without cruelty then they are less effective and perhaps due for replacement."

Koenma's eyes widened in surprise, but Sesshoumaru waved his concern away with a vague gesture. "We are not here today to discuss your father's shortcomings. What is this plan you have in mind, miko?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I think it's better I show you than try to explain what's going on here." He watched as she pulled one of the thin grey gloves from her hand. "We told you about sealing the jewel and you know where I'm from, but something happened after I got back home. May I?" she asked, holding out her bare hand. He arched an eyebrow in curiosity, then tilted his head in agreement, wondering what _random_ the woman had up her sleeve this time.

She cautiously reached out and touched the back of his hand with her fingertips, unsure what they'd both experience. The power of the jewel swelled in her chest to rush down her arm toward his skin. Their hair briefly puffed out with the sudden flex of power in the room before he compressed his aura back under control. His other eyebrow lifted to match the first. "I see."

"Based on what I've experienced with it, the effect is more pronounced with more people involved, and it's even greater when we complete a circle. I am not certain, but based on all the old legends surrounding this jewel, I think that in addition to myself, _three_ participants might be the magic number." She stared back at the closed door. "None of the people in there feel like they'd be safe to show this, at least, not if I plan on going back home in one piece."

She bit her lip and glanced between the two of them. "Do either of you have any suggestion of someone who might be able to help without … _y'know_ … wanting the power for themselves?"

Sesshoumaru paused for the briefest of moments before the very edge of his mouth pulled up into what _might_ have been a smile. "Yes."

* * *

Baikal Khan happily lounged at the bottom of his lake, his scales shifting to catch eddies of chilled water as tiny fish meandered by. A hydrothermal vent near his tail belched superheated water and he shivered in delight before relaxing into bliss.

He was on the verge of dozing off when he noticed a flicker of unexpected youki intentionally prodding at his attention from above the surface of the water. He _could_ ignore the irritant, or he could see what they wanted. No one disturbs a napping dragon unless they have _very good reason_.

He was a little surprised to see the dog lord from the southern islands hovering over his lake with a strange little female shaman in his arm. She looked at him carefully and nodded up at her companion without saying a word.

_Curious._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baikal Khan was introduced in bk2 ch17 - Khan. He's a water dragon and lord of one of the mixed communities on the mainland. He's very fond of keeping the balance.
> 
> Next chapter is probably about a week away. Much remains to be written, still :(


	13. The Community

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's not so easy to figure out who to trust and how to make things happen, and other times it just takes a bit of wine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, this one took a lot more work than I thought it would!

Whipping chilly winds of a sudden ice gale accompanied the great water dragon’s transformation back into his more humanoid shape. Kagome guessed it was probably meant as an attempt at intimidation, but her outfit did its job well and kept her warm. She watched with polite interest as the deep blue eddies of his power shrank and compressed around his form to reveal an _almost_ ordinary man. His lips spread in a wide, shark-toothed grin as he strode toward the taciturn inu-youkai with an outstretched hand. Sesshoumaru pulled back a long sleeve before the two gripped each other's forearm in greeting.

She looked over this new ally as Sesshoumaru briefly introduced her in the unfamiliar language of the region. With dark hair pulled back in a simple tie, carefully styled beard with a few metal ornaments, and dark eyes that looked like the impossibly deep waters of the lake in which he'd been lounging just minutes before, he could _almost_ pass as someone mundane, were it not for his slight blue tint and razor-sharp teeth. Something Sesshoumaru said at that moment inspired a sideways glance, a quirked eyebrow, and a rapidly widening smile. And then, when she thought it could not possibly get any worse, she heard the name _Shippo_ and rolled her eyes skyward, hoping that the raucous laughter that bellowed forth from the dragon's mouth was _not_ a sign of trouble on the horizon.

The dragon turned to her with a wide smile and nodded in greeting before introducing himself in her language with a buttery smooth accent that showed he'd had a great deal of practice. "Welcome, Priestess Kagome. I am Baikal Khan, leader of our great community and protector of these lands." He turned and beckoned that they follow him as he walked down a well-trodden path to a road lined with large, carefully fitted flat stones.

"Your kitsune has had his hands in a good deal of events since you left. This one," Sesshoumaru nodded to the youkai meandering along the forest road ahead of him, "was brought to my attention shortly after he returned to us. Baikal's community is one of several scattered around the world, home to mixed peoples from many countries, many upbringings, and many magics. My lands are home to one as well. If what you are suggesting should come to pass, we will also need to plan for our unique situation."

She hadn't expected to have to travel _so far_ to reach the ally Sesshoumaru trusted with her secret, but a portal from Reikai had made the trip lightning-quick. Koenma seemed content to walk quietly at her side as the dragon strolled ahead, pointing out the many fine features of his lands, like the road and details about how they'd constructed it some hundred years prior. He broadly waved an arm at the trees towering over a scattering of quaint cottages along the road, pleased that they'd been able to maintain such beauty of the land despite their growing population.

He _even_ bragged about the perfect August weather as they made their way west from the shores of the great lake. Kagome wasn't sure if he was implying they _controlled_ the weather or if he was just pleased they'd visited on such a nice day.

Kagome spared a glance at her silver _vesper_ , spotting a strange little number in the corner of the display that she hadn't noticed earlier. It _looked_ like some kind of countdown, showing just a bit over twenty hours. She peeked at Koenma, thinking to ask him if he had an idea what it meant, but realized it was a few hundred years too soon for him to be of much use with her little device. She frowned in concern, then glanced at the current time and did a double-take. She was _pretty sure_ that meeting she'd crashed earlier had been set for five in the evening, yet it wasn't even lunchtime according to her little device. She looked up, but the sky was blocked by the thick green canopy of trees.

"Something is wrong with the time," she murmured. He gave her a funny look before she clarified, "Something _else_. That meeting was at five, but it seems like that was hours ago. I think it's only midday, now."

He shrugged. "Reikai time runs a little different." He was acting _awkward_ again, his cheeks pink as he looked everywhere but at her.

"What's wrong? You've been acting strange since I arrived."

He shrugged, glancing at her from the corner of one eye. "It's nothing."

"Sure seems like _something_ ," she muttered.

"It's just that when we met last time-" he paused, tilting his head back to look at the canopy of trees as they walked. He sighed. "I promised I wouldn't talk about it. It's nothing."

His face had turned scarlet again. _Suspicious_. She pressed her lips together, wondering when she'd find out this mystery of his. "Alright, fine."

Their small group passed a few heavily armored patrols as they followed Baikal along the road. His words became little more than a pleasant drone in the background as she began to detect something in the distance. She was certain they were walking toward it, and it felt familiar, a little bit like _home_. A slight tugging sensation in her chest drew her forward, and as the other three paused to greet someone at the side of the road, she continued forward with baited breath, wondering what it might be.

Within a few minutes, she found what she was seeking: a grand barrier, taller than any she'd seen before, shimmering with a rainbow of energies. She caught the ends of one glove between her teeth and pulled her hand free before tracing her fingertips along its surface and closed her eyes, delighting in the hum of so many cooperating magics singing along her skin. She sighed in pleasure as she stepped into the energy field, the warm eddies buffeting her hair and clothes like a gentle summer breeze.

A few moments later, the barrier wavered as her companions stepped through, the currents of energy parting around their auras. The dragon stared in open curiosity. "Can't say I've seen someone _stand_ in our wall before."

Someone nudged her through to the other side, where nearly a dozen people looked at her like she was crazy. She ducked her head with pink cheeks and followed them through the meandering streets, her eyes downcast while she carefully replaced her glove. Koenma tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as he walked alongside her. "That barrier was remarkable but felt _odd_. You looked like you were enjoying it."

She nodded. "Can't explain. It just seemed right."

He hummed in amusement. "I should not be surprised."

Kagome glanced at him from the corner of one eye. She wondered what experiences in his past—and her future—had led to him being so visibly embarrassed by her sudden appearance during the meeting. The more hours she spent in his presence, the more certain she became that his reactions were nothing short of some kind of _awkward history_ that had resulted in this out-of-place familiarity.

Her attention drifted back to their surroundings as she began to notice the variety of pleasant scents in the air. Outdoor cooking fires roasted great hunks of seasoned meats and she could see hundreds of bouquets of aromatic flowers mixed with bundles of herbs strung along the streets.

She smiled as a group of laughing children scampered past them, their voices soon lost amidst the hundreds of others chattering happily in the winding streets. They passed dozens of stalls displaying bright strips of fabric and even more colorful fruits from exotic locations. Vendors freely dispensed cups filled to the brim from casks of ales and wines to those that shared a few words of greeting. There was raucous laughter and singing to accompany tunes from musical instruments that she'd never seen before.

It was a marvelous sight to behold as they wove through small clusters of the mixed population.

"You have come at an opportune time, as we are in the middle of feasts to celebrate the rain of fire!" Kagome tilted her head at this in confusion. Baikal laughed, pointing up before he continued. "The streaking lights in the early morning skies, best viewed just before the sun rises. There is much revelry throughout the evening hours."

Kagome smiled brightly. ' _Oh, maybe he means a meteor shower,_ ' she thought, briefly glancing upwards. She wondered how much easier it might be to see astronomical events if she had such sharp vision as the youkai she had befriended.

She slowed as they neared what appeared to be some kind of town square. Sturdy stone and wooden buildings with elegant wood-carved eaves surrounded a wide open space. This part of their city had been tiled with colorful stones in a pattern that swirled toward the central feature: a pale white pillar that towered above them, at least twice as tall as the closest buildings and over a dozen feet in diameter. It was like an ancient god tree had been petrified and carved smooth, a single bleached bone from a once gigantic forest.

The khan spread his arms wide with a grin, the noon sun sparkling brightly in his eyes. "This, as I'm sure you can tell, is our _anchor_."

She stared in wonder from the edge of the courtyard. Even from this distance, she could sense magic from dozens of people thrumming through the solid material. She ached to touch the stone and drop her focus into its deepest recesses, to feel the focal point of so much harmony.

Sesshoumaru huffed in mild irritation. "Come, there is still much to discuss. You will have time later to enjoy the festivities as well as admire our work." 

She nodded in agreement, allowing them to lead her away from this magnificent _thing_ as she glanced back at it in longing.

The tallest building on the other side of the great courtyard was a gathering hall with a spacious main room. Baikal led them straight through to an antechamber at the back, where they were met by a willowy, dark-skinned male with his hair pulled back in thick, complex braids. He had a tray of tea balanced on one hand with a fist set upon his other hip as he watched them with a carefully neutral expression. He wore a set of light armor in a similar style as those on patrol, except his was adorned with bright loops of silver and blue fabric and had no gauntlets or protective leather gloves.

"Now then," Baikal began as he settled down in a wide chair beside an unlit fireplace. "What is this favor that you are asking of me?" He accepted a small cup of tea from his guard with an amused smirk before turning his gaze expectantly to Kagome. The guard approached Sesshoumaru next, who accepted a cup with a slight nod, as did Koenma.

Kagome glanced at the guard in concern as he approached. He had some weird magic going on that she'd need time to decipher, and _time_ might not be something she had a whole lot of, if that countdown timer really meant how long she had to accomplish her task.

His ebony fingers brushed her gloves as she accepted her cup, and she didn't miss his slight frown as he turned his attention to the khan, pausing for a moment before he retreated with the remaining drinks.

She waited until he left the room and a silencing barrier pulsed into place with the click of the heavy wooden door. She took a sip, then traced the rim of her cup in thought. "I suppose I'm really asking you to do a favor for yourselves. I believe I'm here today to help put an end to the war."

The khan laughed. "This young one, stopping a war that has been raging for longer than she's been alive? Sesshoumaru, it cannot be possible that this girl is the one from Shippo's stories."

Even though the dragon was openly doubting her veracity, she grinned in amusement. The sound of his mirth was infectious and joyful. She glanced to the side as Sesshoumaru sighed into his teacup. She never thought she'd meet someone who would freely question his word.

He peered over the rim before setting the fragile empty vessel on the table at his side. "She is the very same."

"Where I come from," she began, "there is almost nothing with magic to be found. No youkai mingling with humans, no elementals playing in streams, no tortoises the size of mountains. Maybe a few old cursed relics scattered about, but really, until everything happened to me starting a few years back, life was completely mundane."

Sesshoumaru had likely heard a variation of this story in the distant past, but he paid close attention to her words. The khan watched her with narrowed eyes, stroking fingertips along his short beard.

She looked at Sesshoumaru. "Shippo tells me that everyone there has been hiding in communities, but that doesn't feel like the whole truth. I think he meant to tell me something more about it, but we didn't find the time to go over any details of what he meant before I was called back."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "This place is likely one of the communities he mentioned. Here, the balance is treasured and all life is worthy. Shippo is one that helped erect our protective barriers, working with other magical folk to ensure that no single type of magic was used to provide our protections. It is difficult to bypass or break without cooperation between a similar array of intruders, making it highly effective against those who have not learned to coexist."

She pressed her hands together in delight. "That's really amazing! The barrier I have around the shrine is just a mix of my magic with his, but I'd never considered that other magic could be combined to work together and create something so much _more_. I wish I had more time to study it!"

He sighed. "It's likely still present. Should you wish to see it when you return, simply ask the kitsune to bring you along."

She smiled in anticipation, thinking ahead to what differences she might find after hundreds of years.

Baikal hummed in thought. "Koenma was with us when we stepped through, which granted him passage, but you freely entered the barrier without an escort. Did Shippo give you a key?"

"I don't know. He gave me this pouch, some traveling supplies, and my outfit. He said it was made by one of the community tailors."

The two youkai nodded in consideration. It was possible he'd tucked a key for safe passage into one of her belongings.

"We have strayed far from our topic at hand. _Why_ are you here, asking for my help?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama thinks you are one that can be trusted."

"You can trust me to _eat_ those that go against our ways."

Kagome felt a little horrified as his grin spread wide enough to flash those shark-like teeth again.

Sesshoumaru clarified, " _Our ways_ means to keep the balance and lead honorably through example."

"Oh. Ok, that's …great." She cleared her throat, trying not to think about how big the khan's teeth were in his dragon form. She twisted her fingers together, staring down at the pale grey material of her gloves. "This _thing_ that I have… in the wrong hands, it has ruined the balance more than a few times. It's very important that it stays a secret amongst those that wish for peace." She glanced up, meeting the khan's very serious gaze.

"And you are the _right hands_ for such a thing?"

She smiled faintly. "I hope so." _I'd rather not be eaten by a dragon should I prove otherwise._ She tugged at the end of one of her gloves. "May I?" she asked, standing from her seat with her hand outstretched.

The dragon stood and stared down at her with a challenging grin, his youki unfurling to fill the room with its oppressive chill. Nervously, she glanced over at Koenma, who stood and moved behind his seat as though to use it for a shield should something go amiss, and Sesshoumaru, who nodded that she may proceed.

Warm hands gently enveloped her bare fingers, drawing Kagome's attention back to the dragon. The room and its occupants vanished. There was nothing but cold, endless darkness. The darkness was not still, though, and she briefly felt as though she were moving up and down, back and forth with massive swells on the surface of a great body of water, tugged by unfathomable currents and surrounded by miles of nothing. She floated effortlessly at the surface of this vast ocean, drifting along with the currents and eddies.

Deep water was dangerous to land-dwelling creatures. She understood in this moment that a slip in focus, a distraction of the mind, could result in her sinking below the waves to be drowned and crushed by the pressures of the deep. But what lurked beneath? What wonders -or _monsters_ \- lie in wait below?

It was her mistake to ponder this, for once her attention gravitated toward what dangerous or mysterious things might be just out of sight in the encompassing darkness, she sank. Chill water rolled over her face and the air escaped in tiny bubbles from her nose and mouth as she stared numbly into the depths below. Glowing blue eyes emerged from the dark, rising rapidly toward her. She saw massive scaled hands tipped with deadly sharp claws, each as long as her entire body, stretched wide to either crush or save her.

Her magic flared deep within her chest, lighting her hands and eyes with pink fire that could not be doused by any amount of water. If this creature meant harm and ill-will, _it would not last long_.

Warm hands caught her as light filled her vision and air returned to her lungs. She coughed and sputtered as she blinked in surprise through the water dripping down her face. Baikal held her at arms' length, a ridiculous grin plastered to his face as water leaked from his clothes. _Everything_ in the room was soaked, including Sesshoumaru and Koenma, who stood with matching looks of chagrin as their clothes dripped loudly on the wooden flooring.

Koenma twitched in surprise before pulling a wriggling fish from his shirt.

Sesshoumaru slowly closed his eyes and pressed his lips into a fine line, taking a calming breath before he spoke. "If _someone_ would practice youki control, we might not have experienced such a show of power."

Kagome stared at the inu-youkai, wondering what madness his magic might have inflicted upon them all had he not kept everything under such tight control. He unfurled a brief flare of youki, causing his hair and clothes to whip around him in a minor maelstrom. He flicked his clawed fingertips through the length of his hair and then shook his clothes with a firm, practiced hand, and he was completely dry and in order once more.

She glanced back at the dragon, who was also already dry and patting his clothing back into place, wondering if she didn't feel a little bit cheated to have been denied a similar sampling of Sesshoumaru's youki. She bit her lip, thinking back to what she'd experienced while sharing with Shippo and Hiei. It had been so muffled and subdued. Had she changed, or was Baikal just _that_ strong?

"Kagome-sama?" Koenma called quietly to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"Can you…" he waved vaguely, holding out his hand for hers.

Confused, she gripped his palm and then laughed as their hair and clothes fluffed around them, flinging the water away as they briefly suffused with light. The sparkle of his magic was accompanied by an oddly neutral hum. It felt like shades of grey against the deep water blue and caustic green of the two youkai in the room. This experience was more along the lines of what she'd _expected_ to happen with the dragon. He let go first, then tossed his short hair back into perfect appearance with a shake of his head. He turned away from her, his face burning red once more.

_What in the heck is his deal?_ She looked down at herself, wondering if she had some scandalous bit of skin exposed. A few locks of frazzled hair fell into her face, so she ran her hands through the strands hoping to put it back into some semblance of order. She quashed the brief hint of jealousy at the effortless maintenance required from the others to return to pristine appearance. Maybe she _should_ be pinning her hair up.

Baikal clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! You are quite right to want to keep this a secret. Such a thing could bring us great ruin. But you still have not answered, what is this favor you ask of me?"

Koenma cleared his throat. "The Reikai will cast a spell to separate the magical from the mortals. I am certain my father will not have enough power to accomplish such a thing, so Kagome is going to help. What she can do for us is as reliant on those participating as it is that they are trustworthy with her secret."

Baikal hummed in thought before he perched on the edge of a wooden table. The cushioned seats they'd been enjoying earlier were a sodden mess. "What makes you think such a separation is the answer to the war?"

"This is what keeps the magic apart from the mundane where I live. The youkai and most of the supernatural exist in a completely different realm than the mortals. It was due to this barrier spell—"

Baikal held up a hand to interrupt her. " _Where_ did you say you were from?"

She grinned sheepishly.

The dark youkai was back a short while later with a new tray piled with a variety of snacks. His feet squished into a woven rug near the door, and he paused with an expression of shock as he first stared down, then looked around the room. "Mother of _light!_ Where did all of this _water_ come from?"

"Sorry, my friend!" Baikal clapped his hands together. "We must relocate someplace dry, I believe?" He patted Kagome on the shoulder with a genial grin, his dark blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "Such madness! You must tell me more. But first," he snagged a succulent cube of smoked meat from the tray, " _This_ is Kiapo. He is my most trusted advisor. Kiapo, this is Kagome."

Kagome stared up at the dark youkai with the weird magic as he nodded in greeting. She had assumed him to be some kind of guard or attendant with his distribution of tea and snacks. "Hello." Kiapo's dark eyes looked her over with thinly veiled suspicion. _Eek, what's his problem?_ "I'm here to help," she added on, unsure what else to say.

Kiapo glanced at Baikal with a look of frustration, who merely chuckled with a shake of his head. "I will explain later," he promised, gripping the dark male on his upper arm with a wide grin.

Kagome was impressed by the wide, tapestry-lined hallways and the solid black wooden beams etched with flowers as Kiapo escorted their group through another part of the building. They climbed several flights of stairs that ended at the landing outside of a long, glass-walled room. Just beyond the entrance, a table held more sweet and savory treats along with a tray of bright blue glasses filled with a sour fruity liquid. Kagome took a sip and shuddered at the tart flavor, inspiring another round of laughter from Baikal as he took a gulp from his own cup with a satisfied sigh.

They looked out upon the city at the crowds of people gathering around the anchor. Scattered plumes of smoke from small bonfires dotted the town's silhouette.

Baikal frowned as he considered her story and how it might work with the Reikai's spell. "If this barrier you speak of is meant to separate the mortals from the magical, then it could tear our communities apart. Many of our members have coexisted long enough to have half and quarter children."

She nodded, deep in thought. "I wonder if the spell can exempt those within these types of barriers."

Koenma rubbed his chin. "The spell my father will be using expands on a massive scale. There will be some elements to help guide the intent and structure. Perhaps we can incorporate something to manage."

She nodded, thinking ahead. _What about those outside of the barriers?_

"I don't think my secret is something I should show your father, so we must find some way to grant him the energy needed for the spell without him knowing where it has come from."

Koenma nodded in agreement. "This item," he held out a small blue bauble, "is meant to store my excess energy in case of emergencies. I believe it will suit our needs. Before we gather the energy, I should confer with my father on the spell's specifics so that he's aware of what we're asking. I want to make sure we know everything there is to know before I have the power in hand, just in case."

Kagome frowned in concern, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't think someone would try to take it from you, or use it for something it's not meant for, do you?"

He grinned. "Trouble can be found in the safest of places under the right circumstances, and having a pocket filled with a potent energy source is the perfect start to such mischief." He shook his head. "Better to be safe, especially around some of those my father considers to be _trustworthy._ I should only be gone a few hours. Please relax and enjoy some of that excellent food."

Koenma bowed to the others and waved with a smile before leaving the room.

"That one was the first visitor that we've had from Reikai. I'm glad they've finally taken into account that there is more to life than death." Baikal sighed, shaking his head. "That boy has some growing to do, but from the stories I've heard of his father, he seems to be shaping up well despite the poor example of leadership."

Sesshoumaru nodded once. "He's had a few worthy mentors and considers how his actions might affect others before proceeding. One day he will make a fine leader for the Reikai."

"Kiapo, I believe we should show Kagome what we can of the festivities while keeping our distance from the crowds. Will you show her to the ladder? I will send for additional refreshments."

Sesshoumaru walked with them to the door. "I will accompany Baikal. Kagome, you will be safe with Kiapo. Do not stray."

She chuckled nervously. She hadn't _planned_ on running off to explore by herself, but she had probably behaved in unexpected manners more than once over the years she'd journeyed with her friends. He was a right to remind her to be wary.

Kiapo nodded to the request and led the way from the glass-walled room and down another long hallway to the north. "It's here," he said quietly as he pulled aside one of the dozens of narrow tapestries that lined the walls of this hall from ceiling to floor. There was a small ladder carved into the dark wood leading to a narrow alcove near the ceiling. She climbed the rungs carefully and pulled herself up onto the ledge where there was a small reinforced hatch above her head with barely enough room for her to stand. She crouched to pull on the heavy iron latch until it clicked free and then stood to push it open, sending it over on its hinges to thunk quietly against the roof. She climbed up into the cool evening air and stood, staring at the deepening golds of a beautiful sunset over the mountains to the east.

Kiapo made no sound as he slipped through the hatch, but in the next moment he stood beside her, staring out over the horizon as well. He was quiet for a few minutes as he considered her with impenetrable obsidian eyes. "The ladder hasn't been used in over a century. It was originally meant as an escape for the khan's youngest child, but she has outgrown such secrets."

"I don't think I will ever outgrow my secrets," Kagome whispered.

He propped his hand on his hip as he turned slightly in her direction. She could feel his wariness in their proximity, but he'd been charged with her protection, and she bet he didn't take such a thing lightly. "Do you hide those secrets behind your gloves?"

She nodded. "It's something new, sorry. I don't know a lot about what they're meant for, just that I'm supposed to wear them." She sighed, inwardly lamenting her lack of knowledge.

"Forgive my rudeness, but you are the first guest in centuries to be allowed such liberties around the khan without my approval."

Kagome turned to look at him, caught halfway between a frown of disbelief and amusement at his declaration. "You _approve_ his guests?"

Baikal alighted at the edge of the roof with a pitcher of liquid in one hand and a basket over his arm, filled to the brim with food and empty cups. "Kiapo, you jest! I pick my own guests."

"And then you eat the ones that I indicate aren't worth your time," Kiapo clarified.

The khan laughed, setting the basket between them. "Sesshoumaru will join us shortly," he explained. "I believe some wine caught his attention. Now then, Kiapo," he said, pouring more of the fruity liquid into the empty cups and handing one to each of them. "Before you get any more upset at your inability to read our little ally Kagome, you must know that this is _Shippo's_ priestess."

Kiapo choked on his first sip and spit pink liquid onto the khan's pristine sleeve. The dragon sighed and shook the droplets away with a look of dismay. Kiapo stared at Kagome in confusion. "But, wasn't she _human_?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm still human, unless you know something I don't," she half-smiled.

"But those stories—" he started to say before the khan waved his words away, and then he blushed as he shot a horrified look at her. " _Mother of light_! I beg for your forgiveness." He suddenly knelt at her feet and bowed his head.

Kagome frowned in dismay. "Oh, no _please_ don't do that," she murmured, reaching out to pull him back to his feet. "I don't think there's anything you have to apologize for, is there?" She shot a pleading glance at the khan, who had pressed his lips together in a fine line. 

She wasn't sure if he looked angry or amused until he started to shake with silent chuckles. He took a moment to collect himself. "Kiapo was annoyed with me earlier because you have blocked his ability, and I remained content to leave him in the dark."

She wasn't sure if this was meant as an explanation for the strange apology or as a swift change in subject, but Kiapo stood and stared at her with dark pink cheeks.

"What's his-" she stopped, then turned to the male in question. "What is your ability?" she asked.

"I can sense intentions. I check all of the khan's guests so we can avoid surprises."

"And my gloves blocked you?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps."

Burning with curiosity, she tugged a glove free and held out her bare hand. Kiapo looked between it and Baikal, who nodded with a chuckle, "At least this one can't drown you!"

Kiapo's mouth curled into a deep frown. "It will take us weeks to repair that much water damage. How did you-" and then he touched her hand and his words fell away. Kagome felt her hair poof and swirl about as the fuzzing magic swept through her and over the edge of the roof, rolling out like an invisible fog in a rapidly expanding circle. Sesshoumaru arrived in that moment, and she could barely drag her attention away from the wide-eyed look of surprise on Kiapo's face as his magic slid through the crowds of people far below.

"Normally," Baikal said quietly, "His ability is limited by touching exposed skin, usually someone's hand as he dispenses drinks as part of our welcoming rituals. After we ruined my meeting room, I was curious what might happen."

Kiapo pulled his hand free and turned with a look of concern to Baikal. " _Sabotage_ ," he murmured.

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow, handing a delicate glass flask to Baikal.

Baikal hummed and sat at the edge of the rooftop, sipping from the small container. "Ah, yes. This one is especially fine." He swirled the small container as his gaze swept the celebrations. "Do you think it means danger for the festivities or something _else_? Here, little priestess, take a taste!"

She grimaced and waved her hand to turn away his offer, holding her fruity drink aloft with a look of apology. If they kept plying her with random alcohols, she wasn't sure what insanity might ensue. The khan chuckled and offered her a hunk of fresh bread from his basket, instead. She sat beside him to eat, looking out over the crowds laughing and singing nearly a hundred feet below them.

Kiapo glanced at Kagome. "It is hard to tell with such an expansive sampling. I do not know who or how many felt such leanings, but it was strong enough to catch my attention. I do not believe she has been here long enough for such plans to already be set in motion."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he turned his attention toward a brief disturbance in the mass of people below. "When it comes to the secret that one possesses, it's impossible to be too cautious."

Someone far below them flung sparkles of magic into the air to the sound of cheers and whistles. Her eyes followed the movements of the crowd with a little bit of longing. So many new sights and sounds as hundreds of people moved together like schools of fish in the ocean. Her attention jumped from adults swaying to children playing around the base of the great structure towering above them all.

"How did you get such a tall pillar to stand without supports?" she asked, staring up at the narrow tip of the barrier's anchor.

Kiapo sat behind them to rummage through the basket for a choice strip of meat. "That is a question for one of the builders. We just admire their handiwork and maintain the magic."

Baikal bellowed a name, and a guard standing on a platform a few dozen feet below them looked up at their small group. He leapt effortlessly to the roof and knelt before the khan. "Gatai, there is trouble brewing. Have the city guards and the patrols alerted to be on the lookout for more than the usual."

Kagome immediately recognized the burning magic within him and couldn't help her friendly smile. Both Hiei and Shippo had similar traces, and it brought to mind feelings of nostalgia and comfort, despite her deadly run-ins with the fire elementals during her last trip through the Makai. It definitely helped to know that Kiapo could detect the bad guys with a touch. She wondered if any of the khan's guards dared to break ranks knowing their leader would eat them.

Gatai snapped a salute and then had the audacity to _wink_ at her before he leapt off the roof again. She blinked in surprise, her amused smile shifting into chagrin. Perhaps she should practice Sesshoumaru's poker-face.

Kiapo was subtle about it, but she noticed that despite how closely they all sat on the rooftop, he was careful to not touch her again. She couldn't imagine what kind of mental feedback he'd had to deal with while boosted by the jewel, considering an empathic ability like his. To know and process _one_ person's feelings was a good ability, but to suddenly try to process thousands at once, perhaps _not so much_ , especially without a lot of practice. She'd had to practice with Shippo and Hiei many times before she became comfortable with the jewel's boost to her skill, and she…

Her thoughts trailed off as she bit her lip in concern. This was _with_ the seal. How much worse might things be without it?

The evening grew late as they waited for Koenma's return, lounging on the rooftop with choice foods and drinks accompanied by quiet tales of old heroism and mischievous children. Kagome yawned before taking another sip of her drink. It had been a long day. She'd managed to avoid the mental fuzzies from too much alcohol, a sad experience she'd had more than a few times during her adventures in the past. Even now, a human her age would have been considered an _adult_ for several years already. She glanced at her _vesper_ , its pale screen briefly casting dim light on her face.

Eleven pm. The countdown showed just over ten hours remaining. She frowned at this, wondering what the heck that new number meant. She did some quick counting and realized that the timer would reach _zero_ right around the time she'd arrived in the meeting much earlier that morning. A twenty-four hour countdown? Did that mean she had to leave at that time? Surely the coincidence wouldn't be that her task must be completed by then. She tucked it away in her pouch, frowning up at the starry sky.

Kiapo dropped a warm length of fabric over her head. The temperature had slowly dropped to something that felt a bit chilly against her face and she was thankful for her expertly crafted outfit. "Humans are susceptible to the cold, especially those from the south," he murmured. She nodded with a smile and tucked the fabric under her chin, appreciating the extra level of warmth.

He carefully patted the top of her head through the thick fabric. "I will regale you with stories of Shippo's conquests, if you'd like."

Kagome had just tipped back her cup to catch the last few drops and choked in surprise. "Oh, no, _no_ that's alright." Her face was burning.

"But the story of the night he found the missing great bear that had gotten trapped in the ice caves! That one is the best and we cannot end this night without at least one telling!"

She stared at him in suspicion. His wording sounded _awfully_ bad, but maybe he meant something less raunchy by the word _conquest_ than she'd immediately assumed. Shippo probably didn't do a bunch of crazy _adult_ stuff so early in his youkai life. Of course, it probably was some great adventure of being heroic and saving some poor…

"That she-bear had gotten _so drunk_ that she couldn't remember how she'd gotten lost to begin with, and then she refused to leave the cave until she finished what she'd gone there for. And since _Shippo_ was the one to find her, she insisted that he must be her destined mate!" Her eyes widened as he leaned forward, laughing in delight. "He swears he did everything he could to deter her, but the _noises_ we could hear from miles away," he continued, "I still give him a hard time about it when he visits, and now you can, too."

Kagome sighed and pressed her hand to her face. _Gods_ , that was a visual she _did not want_.

The little trap door popped open with a quiet thud before the youthful demigod scrambled through the hatch. "I'm back with news and information! Did you miss me?" he winked in her direction, but she was having trouble finding her sense of humor at the moment. "Alright," he chuckled, stepping forward to sit at her side. "I can tell when someone's not wanted," he grinned, although his amusement slipped from his face with his next sentence. "I spoke with my father. We _might_ have a problem."

He accepted a drink from Kiapo, who likely got a fresh read on Koenma's mindset with the casual brush of his fingers as he relinquished the cup.

"What few details I could gather from my father makes me believe that the spell he originally cast was less of a barrier separating the living from the dead and more like splitting off a part of reality into a separate location. We use magic, like portals, to gain access between the realms, but what happens here cannot directly affect the Reikai, and vice versa. With a normal barrier, if you manage to destroy the land that is protected, it's still destroyed when the barrier falls."

Kagome nodded in understanding.

Koenma waited until she looked at him so she could see the seriousness in his gaze. "If this same spell is cast upon the mortal realm, it won't just put a barrier in place, it will _divide reality in half_."

"Alright, I kind of expected that. Can places like these be protected from such a divide?"

Koenma frowned. "I asked Father about exemptions. He said he'd need to consider what might be possible, but I worry about how he worded his response. I'm not sure what he will be able to do, yet."

She glanced down at her empty cup in concern. That didn't sound very good. Motion to the side caught her attention as the khan shook a container of liquid with a grin. She sighed and held out the cup for a refill. "How soon will we know more?"

He shook his head. "Sometime early tomorrow, probably. He needed time to prepare, but he wants to get started as soon as he can once I've brought him the power for it. We are absolutely at capacity right now, and souls are being left to wander the mortal realm with no room to bring them to the Reikai."

"But they're dead. They can't wait?"

He shook his head. "There are many fiends that enjoy dining on the souls of the dead. If we leave them unprotected for too long, they might be destroyed with no chance for reincarnation or finding their final resting place."

Her hand flew to her mouth. "How awful!"

"I am hoping he will be ready to cast the spell by noon, tomorrow."

She nodded, feeling a little numb at the thought that everything must happen so soon to avoid further catastrophe. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, staring down at the red liquid in her cup. What if they moved too quickly? How much damage might be done without knowing all the details, without planning adequately?

She yawned again and sipped at the contents. It slid down her throat, coating and numbing the back of her tongue. _Hmm_. She took another sip, tasting the berries and flowers, wondering at the vague tingling sensation in her fingertips. "I've been meaning to ask," she said, feeling a little strange. "What did you mean this morning about _four_ realms? I've only ever heard mention of three."

Koenma turned his gaze skyward. "Well, there's this realm, home to all living creatures. Limbo is where the neutral gods and demigods reside, and we process those that have died for either reincarnation in the mortal realm or their final rest in one of the last two realms, what humans have taken to calling heaven and hell."

"You consider heaven and hell to be realms separate from the spirit realm?"

He gave her a funny look. "Have you ever _been_ to hell?"

She grimaced and shook her head, licking her lips before taking another sip from her cup.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Other gods and demigods of matching alignments reside in those realms, too."

He stared at the cup she held, then reached out to snag it from her, sniffing its contents with a look of suspicion. He held it away from her as she reached out to take it back with a shake of his head and a grin. "No, I don't think you need anymore of this stuff." He chuckled at her scowl. "Did you know, demigods with your alignment generally reside in hell, and those with alignments like Baikal Khan and Sesshoumaru-sama reside in heaven?"

Baikal barked a short laugh. "Fascinating!"

She paused, staring between them. " _What?_ But … most humans think of youkai as being _evil_."

He shrugged. "Youkai magic is generally based on things found in nature like fire and ice. Your kind," he paused, poking the tip of her nose with his finger, "has _unnatural_ magic. Plus, it's the best kind of magic to torment the evil-doers that get sentenced to hell."

She rubbed at her face. The stars were spinning crazily in the sky, and she wasn't sure if that was the meteor shower or the drink. "I think I need to sleep," she muttered. "Nothing is making sense anymore."

More laughter.

Kagome insisted on staying on the roof with them, so Kiapo brought a cushion and a fluffy woven blanket. She had no problem curling up to sleep off the alcohol under Sesshoumaru's watchful gaze.

Someone nudged her awake in the dark hours before dawn. She yawned, feeling much less woozy, and cracked an eyelid open just in time to spot a bright line streak across the sky. She smiled in wonder, watching for the next few bits of flaming debris burning bright paths through the atmosphere before she dozed off again.

She stretched and yawned widely in the bright morning light, a little surprised that the din of crowds from far below had finally tapered off to only an occasional murmur. Sesshoumaru sat quietly nearby, his eyes closed but still very much aware of his surroundings. She could sense the flare of his youki as she cast out her aura, seeking out any who remained nearby.

Koenma quietly explained, "The celebrations tapered off once the sun started creeping over the horizon. Before he left, the khan said it'll be mostly quiet until this afternoon, as people rest and prepare for another night of gatherings."

She nodded, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand. She dug through her pouch, first checking the time on her little device — _past eight already?_ — before she found a water bottle and drank half its contents. She twisted the cap back into place with a sigh of relief. Staring out over the brightening horizon, she thought about the great changes that might be happening that day. "This must happen soon, right?" she murmured, turning a worried gaze to Koenma.

He nodded. "I spoke with the others while you slept. I'm worried about keeping these communities intact, sure, but I'm concerned with how father worded his intentions. To _separate out the magic_ , he'd said. The more we talked about it last night, the more I'm certain he might mean anyone with magic, theirs _and yours_."

Her brow creased in concern. "Priests and priestesses are mortal. Their magic is spiritual in nature - they have very little to do with these battles for dominance, based on what I'm understanding," she said. "Does he mean to…" she paused, thinking hard. If Koenma's father dumped anyone with holy magic into the Makai when the realms split, it could be a bloodbath. Youkai generally didn't trust those with magic like hers, and vice versa. Only the fact that she'd been raised without the learned bias and fear made her able to coexist with those that might otherwise have considered her a mortal enemy.

Koenma shook his head. "I won't know until I return this morning. He needed to prepare for the spell and confer with others."

_Which others?_

"I'm trying to not be worried," she murmured, staring down at the nearly empty courtyard below them.

"Being worried doesn't help any of us. All we can do is gather information and plan accordingly."

"Before everything happens, I want some time with the anchor. I might not have another chance before I go back…" she trailed off, thinking of the mysterious countdown on her _vesper_.

Sesshoumaru stood and looked down at the two of them. "I do not like leaving such a major change in the hands of someone like your father. It would be greatly appreciated if you could gather any further details so that we might adequately prepare." He reached out to offer Kagome his hand, which she gratefully accepted. She slung her bow over her shoulder and adjusted her pouch, the water bottle tucked away safely once more. He effortlessly stepped off the rooftop to land lightly in the courtyard, releasing her after she found her footing.

She raced toward the tall pillar, excited to have her moment with the incomprehensible monument they used to anchor their barrier. She dropped to her knees beside its pale stone surface and marveled at the subtle glow she hadn't been able to spot the day before under the bright midday sun. A rainbow shimmered from its surface, casting colorful bands of light across the pavement and her hands as she reached out with her gloved fingers, sure that despite her protections she'd still be able to—

Her consciousness tipped forward into the cold stone.

The rainbow of magics rushed up to greet her, tickling, pricking, sparking with emotions that brought tears to her eyes. This massive source of protection had been built by people with a strong sense of love for their families, honor to uphold the community safety, protectiveness toward their students, commitment to do the right thing. Some magic felt sharp like the spines of a cactus, others firm like steel and stone, some flowed languid and free to fill in the gaps that had been left by those more rigid. She felt the sting of earth as the wind kicked it up, the warmth of fire and the chill of ice. The singing harmony of magic like hers brushed against her in a brief embrace, twisting away to play with the others present. It felt as though the energies of creation wove through this anchor, and anything could be possible if someone just _knew how to use it_.

Sesshoumaru's energy sparked along her senses, bringing her attention back to where she knelt, and she reluctantly dropped her fingers, staring at the pillar in awe. He spoke quietly behind her. "We don't fully understand it, but when the conflicting magics work together instead of against one another, it becomes something more. Connecting our barriers to such an anchor has helped us maintain our protections for decades with minimal upkeep from a few."

Her hand absently dropped to settle on her hip, just below where the empty shell of the jewel still rest within her. _So much more is possible when everything works together_.

Koenma had joined them and placed his fingers on the smooth white surface of the pillar. "We don't have anything like this Reikai."

Kagome thought about Tek, who had told her energy like this would be used for so much more in the future. Koenma muttered at her side, "You were occupied for a while there, and something in your pouch made a strange noise."

She looked down at the soft yellow fabric in confusion. What did she have that could be making sounds? The _vesper_?

He dropped his hand from the surface and turned toward Sesshoumaru. "If I am to have time to gather more information before he starts the spell, I'll need to go soon."

Kagome nodded, turning toward them. "Where is Baikal Khan?"

"He approaches."

"Should we do this here, or somewhere else?"

Sesshoumaru nodded at the anchor. "Magic that is used near this structure tends to be muddled. A barrier to hide our actions will suffice."

The dragon strode into the courtyard with Kiapo at his side. "Good morning! I trust you rested well, despite remaining outside?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time during the festival."

"Nonsense! Meeting Shippo's favorite person has already been a memorable experience."

She tucked her hands behind her back and scuffed her shoe on the stone, feeling a bit awkward. What had that kitsune been _telling_ these people? "You know, I don't think he's supposed to know I was here. In case it comes up, I mean." She bit her lip, looking at the youkai present. Kiapo seemed confused, but Baikal made a short gesture and his expression quickly cleared as he stepped back to stand guard at the edge of the courtyard. ' _Shippo didn't seem to know for sure that I'd done anything else in the past. Did these friends of his never say anything?'_ she wondered.

She cleared her throat and rubbed her gloves on the bright red material of her pants, feeling suddenly nervous. "I really must apologize ahead of time. What we're about to do is…" she paused with a frown, looking around at the three who stood with her. "I've only done it once. I expect it will be different for each of you, but to me it feels pretty _connected_."

She suddenly noticed an unfamiliar tingling sensation in her fingertips and toes, trickling up her limbs. She looked down in surprise as the paper stuck to her torso began to disintegrate, sending ripples of magic pulsing through her. Her eyes widened in dismay; she'd forgotten to replace it with all the excitement, and whatever this strange new sensation was, she hadn't experienced it before. She didn't have time to figure out what had changed. They had serious work to accomplish before she ran out of time.

She fumbled in her pouch for the next slip of paper, only to realize she couldn't feel them with her gloves on. She hastily tugged her right glove from her hand with her teeth and then stuffed her bare fingers into the pouch to find the edge of a tiny seal. She bumped the silver device with a knuckle just as her fingers closed around the fresh slip of paper. Her mouth fell open in surprise as the same tugging sensation from the day before yanked from her middle to whisk her away in a sudden flash of light.

A single grey glove drifted to the ground where she'd been standing.


	14. The Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome arrives someplace entirely unexpected with new problems at hand.

Silence.

Blinding light.

Blistering heat, creeping into the gaps of her outfit.

Before she had a chance to regain her footing or see where she was, she knew something had gone terribly wrong. She blinked as the brightness of the transfer bled into only slightly less oppressive sunlight beating down on her from both the sky above and reflecting off the pale white sand that extended in all directions. She stood on the slope of a small dune, her shoes slowly sinking into the soft material as she stared around her in confusion and surprise.

Shimmering colors lined the horizon as far as the eye could see. She turned slowly to take it all in with growing alarm. Where the heck was she? She dug in her pouch for the _vesper_ and shaded the display to squint down at the screen. _Deshret._

"What the…?" she muttered, shaking the small device before staring down at the text in disbelief. She hadn't expected the little piece of questionable technology to start misbehaving so soon. (Shaking it did not help.)

No date, no helpful information, no anachronistic _attachments_. Just… a word she did not recognize and that countdown timer again, confirming her initial guess that it started at 24 hours.

 _Great_.

Koenma said he'd heard a sound from her pouch, and it must have been her device indicating the timer had expired. She hadn't been whisked away immediately, only when she'd accidentally bumped it, so she had to guess that the timer didn't specify when she'd _have_ to leave. Maybe it meant how soon she _could_ leave. And if that was the case…

She heaved a loud sigh, rolling her eyes at her unbelievable luck. She absolutely did not relish the idea that she'd be stuck in the middle of a desert for the next day.

She took another deep breath.

Focus.

Breathe air in, blow tension out. Worrying would do her no good. A day in the desert wouldn't kill her. She had plenty of supplies in her pouch, including enough water to last at least a few days, and her outfit was meant to protect against cold _and_ warm weather. The air was so dry that she felt deep regret that she hadn't thought to pack any lotion, but dry skin hadn't killed anyone yet (that she knew of). The only thing she really needed to worry about was the fact that her hair felt like it was _absolutely on fire._ She pulled a spare white shirt from her pouch and draped it over her dark locks, tucking in the edges to keep it secure.

No problem.

She glanced around again with less dread as she realized she probably hadn't just been dumped somewhere random for no reason. While she'd been speaking with Tek, the notification about the meeting in Reikai had come up, and that's what had prompted her last trip through time and space.

Something similar must have appeared on her device screen, so her presence here likely held some significance, but sitting around on a sand dune by herself probably wasn't going to bring the problem to her.

She paused, considering that for a moment. If she sat down and refused to move, _would_ the problem come to her? Or would time just figure out a way to solve whatever it was without her assistance?

She scowled in disgust. She could never just sit around and _wait_ for her problems to show up at her feet. What the _hell_ was her purpose there if it wasn't to go meddle in everything she could find?

She grinned, excitement suddenly coursing through her as she clutched her bow. What new mysteries would she encounter in this sandy, sunshine-drenched place?

She stretched her senses out for any indication of a direction she should travel.

And found…nothing.

Nothing, and a lot more of _nothing_.

No sign of life for _miles_.

She stretched farther than she'd ever tried before, until a tiny smidgen of shine popped up. She gasped in surprise at the distance, pressing a hand to her abdomen as she remembered she hadn't replaced her paper seal. (Maybe she'd leave it off for just a bit longer.) Turning in that direction, she sighed in resignation for the long walk.

Being in the middle of nowhere, she expected the silence, but there was also no breeze. A little bit of wind on her face would be a treasured gift in this environment.

Even weirder, as she walked across the sand, her shoes didn't leave much of an impression, as though she weighed much less than she had before, or the sand just didn't have the time to move out of the way before she took her next step. She'd walked on sand before, and this was not how it normally behaved.

She wasn't sure what could be the cause. She definitely felt just as heavy as usual, no extra bounce in her step from being magically lightweight as her walk stretched on for what felt like hours. Her irritation grew as she climbed over the next dozen sand dunes with nothing to be seen on the horizon. If she had something to do here, why the _heck_ had she been dropped so far away from her task?

Was an entire afternoon of walking supposed to be part of the experience?

She found she didn't really care. She'd be gone from this place soon enough, and the exhaustion and desperation of being lost in a seemingly endless desert didn't have the same mental toll as it would have if she'd been just an average traveler without an easy escape as soon as the next day. She might often find herself in impossible situations, but this— _thankfully_ —was not one of them.

She stared at her feet as she walked, thinking back to where she'd just been that morning. They'd been on the verge of gathering the power required for the spell that would split the realms. If she'd left before _doing_ anything, did that mean the others would find a way to proceed without her? Maybe her purpose there hadn't been to provide anything more than the _idea_ of splitting up the warring sides.

She found it hard to believe that she was some magic fix-all meant to randomly pop in to solve everyone's problems. If the Reikai had accomplished such a spell in the distant past without her, they'd no doubt find a way to do it again.

She paused at the top of the next dune to drink more water, and as she replaced the cap, she noticed new smells in the air that reminded her of a shoreline. Damp earth as it slowly evaporated its moisture to the air, the grasses that stubbornly clung to any surface to drink in the scant traces of water, and the creatures that called such a place home; these things had a very distinct scent that even her weak human nose could pick up once she got close enough. She wondered how far away it might still be.

Thanks to the endless mirages shimmering over the horizon, she still couldn't see much more than smeared and distorted bands of blues, greens, and greys in the distance. It _looked_ like she might be able to find water in every direction, but she knew better. Water could be just beyond that next hill and she didn't think she'd know for sure until she'd practically stumbled into it.

She'd do much for sunset or thick cloud cover.

She continued forward and crested the next dune and nearly cheered aloud when she _finally_ spotted something different. A line of camels had become visible some distance away, their legs curled in a strange pattern of what _appeared_ to be mid-stride along the dunes with a single rider leading the group. She stared with her mouth hanging open as they seemed to float in the distance, barely moving as the rider's arm hung suspended in the air as it arced downward, the stick he clutched clearly meant to encourage their forward momentum.

 _Except there was no momentum_.

Life seemed to have been stuck in some slow-motion mode. She approached the line of animals, staring in wonder at the fuzzy, dirty, spit-flecked camels as they hung near-frozen in mid-gallop along the dunes. Sand floated in the air along the ground in small clouds, kicked up from their humongous… _gods,_ were those hooves or paws? They were _massive_.

And the _smell_. _Blegh_. She wrinkled her nose, watching for a few moments as their limbs slid through the air, the rider's stick flowing down toward his mount's rump. One of the animals had barely shifted its eye in her direction before she moved to circle them, and she wondered how long she'd have to hold still to be seen by the people and creatures of this realm.

_What the heck had happened to time?_

She left the camel group behind and crested the dune following the prints they'd left in the sand to stare into the distance. The shimmer of a bright blue waterway could be seen somewhat nearby, although it was still far enough away to be indistinct waves of color thanks to the ridiculously oppressive heat. It was impossible to tell how far she had left to walk. She pulled out her water bottle and took another sip before she shook her head in disbelief.

Always a long walk, no matter where and when she ended up. She bit her lip, briefly wondering if one of her next jaunts might land her in the distant future with hovering cars or instant teleportation platforms.

A girl could hope.

After what felt like another hour of tracing the camels' footprints toward the new colors she could see, she encountered the first tiny homes scattered at the outskirts of a silent city. The sun hadn't moved at all in the sky, despite what her device's countdown indicated.

Time seemed to have nearly stopped for everyone but her. She shimmied carefully through small crowds of bronze-skinned people scattered along the packed dirt roads as they hustled small animals to market, carrying loads of goods between tiny irrigated farms and what ended up being a dusty, bustling marketplace.

She frowned. _Would_ have been a bustling marketplace if it weren't all moving so slowly. It was _creepy_ to see everyone in such a state, and within moments she realized that time wasn't just affecting the things she could see, but also what she could hear.

It explained the silence she'd experienced since she'd arrived.

If the wind had been affected by her weird time situation, then the rustling of fabric and foliage couldn't happen. The normal sound of her shoes crunching against dirt and stones was oddly missing, and she couldn't even feel the grinding of pebbles beneath her soles.

She walked past a man stretched awkwardly mid-stride, his expression twisted in anger with his mouth wide in an obvious shout. A deep, unintelligible noise trickled from his throat, rising then lowering in pitch as she passed him in haste. _Yikes_.

Other sounds she heard were delayed and muffled, drawn out like whispering sighs or low moans of an angry ghost. She shivered in discomfort at the odd noises as she meandered through the stillness, stopping only briefly to examine pretty trinkets for sale or strange foods she'd never seen before. She chuckled as she passed exotic fluffy animals in stalls, admired shining jewelry and brightly dyed fabrics, and wondered at intricate carved statues of animal-faced people that were no larger than her finger.

No one seemed to notice her as she slid through the molasses-slow crowds. A few children were poised mid-run as they raced between adults, and she spotted one with their fingers sneaking into the pouch of an inattentive adult.

She grimaced, moving along and hoping to stay out of trouble amongst these people. She was beginning to think that avoiding detection like this, her time separate from theirs, might end up being in her best interest. Her white _haori_ and red _hakama_ were much brighter than anything she saw these people wearing. Their grays and browns were interspersed with only an occasional flash of white worn by someone who probably didn't spend much time amongst the dirt and animals, and _probably_ were prime targets for pickpockets (or worse).

She spotted trees above the buildings as she traveled farther along the main road, and soon she could more easily detect the scents of lush green foliage and the damp musk of river animals nearby. It made sense that such a large establishment of humans would be near a major source of water.

The road eventually met with the waterway and split to the left and right to continue along the shore. She looked around and then felt with her magic to try and find something of interest. The _shine_ —whatever it was— caught her attention once more to the left. It was much closer than it had been when she'd first spotted it.

She passed several docks with simple reed boats tied to the moors. Her attention slid past them to the sharp-looking ripples along the water's surface. If sand barely moved beneath her feet and the water was similarly affected, what would happen if she fell in? Would she bounce off the surface like it were made of gelatin, or would she be slowly sucked under the surface, trapped in a syrup-thick viscosity?

She shuddered and hoped she never found out.

A line of tall pillars became visible in the distance, easily towering over everything else nearby. She made her way toward it in curiosity, weaving through more people traveling in the same direction, and soon realized the road she walked on ended at some kind of temple. Pairs of great humanoid statues with dark canine faces lined the entrance to a main courtyard. _This looks like ancient Egyptian stuff,_ she thought, staring up at the closest one in awe. They were in pristine condition, with colorful mosaic-trimmed bases, brightly painted stripes, and shining metallic decorations sparkling from the trim of the statue's outfit. The trinkets in the marketplace had given her a hint, but she started to feel more confident with her guess about where (and when) she might be after seeing these massive representations.

She glanced behind her and realized this temple was the largest thing she could see anywhere nearby. _Strange_ , but making more sense, now.

She walked along the wide entryway and passed between more statues, slipping around the frozen visitors carrying small temple offerings. The source of the _shine_ was somewhere within the temple, she was certain of it. She wondered if it might be a priest or another magical creature.

Within the walls of the temple compound, she spotted what _appeared_ to be temple attendants, dressed in shining white outfits hemmed with brightly colored stitching and adorned with similarly colorful cords draped from their necks and shoulders. They were all near-frozen in time like everyone else she'd passed as they spoke with patrons, swept the shining marble floors, or stood by a large, barely wavering flame with their hands raised in supplication.

She frowned in concern. None of these attendants had even a smidgen of magic that indicated they could do anything of note.

Shrugging, she continued into the room, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the gradually dimming illumination. Perhaps with these kinds of temples, it was the _intentions_ that mattered, and not so much any magic.

She stopped at the edge of a wide, shallow pool set in the middle of the first large room she entered. Sunlight streamed through openings along the top edge of the temple walls, pouring in through the immense pillars holding the tall ceiling aloft and reflecting subtly off the pale stone that lined the walls and floors. This place was beyond her wildest imaginings, and she turned in a slow circle to absorb the spray of color from tiny mosaic patterns along the walkways and their reflections off of so many brightly sparkling surfaces, the strange people, and their offerings for one of the old gods.

Eventually she moved on, stepping around more visitors into a hallway that had very little reflected light and instead relied upon an occasional torch fastened to sconces along the wall. Her shoes made no sound against the polished surface as she walked deeper into the temple, wondering what purpose she might have in this strange place.

She entered another room that was again lit by sunshine spilling through openings near the ceiling, and a small boy lying on a cot along one wall drew her gaze like a magnet. Everyone in this building, both the visitors as well as the attendants, kept an obvious distance from him. She looked around in confusion. There were other cots occupied by people in various states of misery and neglect, but this one boy…

She stepped closer and watched as his face tilted slowly in her direction. His eyes were swollen shut and his lips had cracked from dehydration. He was pale and dirty, skinny and malnourished. Poor, _poor_ boy. He couldn't be older than five.

She collapsed to her knees at his side. She could feel his spark of life, the burning brightness of his pure soul. This was the source of the _shine_ she'd noticed from her arrival in the desert.

Unlike the negligent attendants posing as spiritual guides or healers or _whatever the heck they were doing_ here in this temple, this boy would make an excellent priest one day. That is, _if_ he survived the sickness plaguing his tiny body. His dark hair was mussed and stuck to his forehead in thick clumps, although he'd long since stopped sweating through his fever.

She reached out with trembling fingers, belatedly noticing that she'd misplaced one of her gloves. She stripped off the remaining one and stuffed it into her pouch, wondering if the power she held could do a damned bit of good for this poor child's health. Her cool hands touched his face and neck as tears dripped down her cheeks, and she jumped in surprise as he fell into her weirdly warped sense of time with a shuddering, gravelly gasp.

 _Why_ would anyone just leave this poor child to his fate, ignored along a dark wall with no one to tend him with the basic necessities of life?

Was it too much to ask for such a small comfort as a sip of water?

They had abandoned him to his fate, and she would likely find time to be angry about it _later_ , after she did her best for him _now_.

Power flared through her hands and leapt into the small boy, and she watched in satisfaction as his symptoms began to recede. The swelling in his face subsided, leaving dark smudges under sunken eyes. He sucked in another gasp of air, his shaking fingers lifting from his side to cling weakly to her cool skin, a broken moan of relief spilling from the tiny gap of his parched lips.

Her chin trembled as she held back more tears. Maybe she was meant to slip unseen between these poor people, bringing them back from the edge of death. She'd willingly burn through her all the magic she had at her disposal to return some joy to families that thought their loved ones lost to them.

Color returned to his dusty cheeks, and she thrust a trembling hand into her small bag to find one of her containers of water. She touched the edge of it to his lips and poured in a trickle of the cool liquid, careful as he scrabbled for a grip on the shining bottle, choking out a wet but strong cough as he tried to drink and breathe at the same time. She brushed fingertips over his forehead and sank into the sense of him, feeling his young magic spark and flare in response as she tried to get a handle on whether his illness had subsided. She hovered over him for what seemed like far too long, peeking over her shoulder at the others in the temple as she fed him sips of water until he seemed to relax.

He blinked open bleary eyes and stared around him, but her smile was met by his blank expression and furrowed brows as he seemed to be unable to focus on her face. One of his little hands trembled as he cautiously reached out in search of where she knelt. She caught his hand with her own and squeezed gently. "It's going to be okay," she whispered.

His reply was an unfamiliar word with the lilt of a question as his eyes sought something he couldn't seem to find. She wondered if he might be blind. She frowned and stroked a fingertip along one of his eyebrows. Even though his eyes were open and staring, he flinched at the unexpected contact.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping in both dismay and marginal relief. She'd done all she could for his illness, and hopefully the blindness wasn't related or went away after he had time to heal. She glanced around at the others lying sick within the temple. Her hands left the boy and she heard the smallest sound of protest fall from his lips before he fell out of her time. She glanced down at him, saddened by his outstretched fingers held suspended in the air where he'd been clinging with growing strength to her hand.

Her eyes narrowed on his bright soul. She reached out with her magic and caught the end of his glowing shine and _twisted_ , pushing some of her power to him. She watched in satisfaction as his soul thrummed brightly in response to her gift.

He'd live despite the temple attendants' inattention, she was sure of it. As she glared around at those that _should_ have been doing more to ease the suffering of those left in their care, she hoped he'd be able to help others through their pains one day soon.

She sighed and turned her gaze toward the dozens of others scattered around the darkened room. A few attendants hovered over them with sips of water or bowls of soup, but some seemed to be outright abandoned like this young boy had been. They were in various states of illness, thrashing against fever, reaching blindly for help that would never arrive, or limp and near death as they gasped their final breaths.

She bit her lip, wondering how many she should try to heal, _if_ she could heal any at all. The boy had magic similar to her own. That was all she knew for certain.

Had her purpose here been to heal this one boy so that he might go on to help hundreds of others, or was she meant to flow through this crowd of sick like some apparition of mercy, returning health to them one by one?

She wasn't sure what had drawn her to the child before any of the others. Her heart had pushed her toward him as though he still had something important to do.

She turned her attention to the next neglected cot where an elderly man lay. She could see at a glance that he didn't have long left in this world, even if she were to help. He was in worse condition than her grandfather had been on the worst of his days. She strode to his side, quickly, reaching with her magic anyways. She had to try, even if it couldn't fix him.

The gentle touch of fingertips on his forehead was enough to bring him into her time, and he blinked up at her face in surprise. A smile curled his lips before he relaxed, at peace as his life drifted away.

At times like these, Kagome was tempted to use one of the curse words her friends freely tossed around.

She had to guess that after seeing hundreds of years of _bad,_ it didn't make much sense to hold back on colorful language. After just a handful of years of seeing _bad_ herself, she'd been tempted to just say _forget it_ and drop a few words that might make even Shippo blush.

She shook her head in frustration. These people were definitely sick. Fever, dehydration, swollen face, joint pain and weakness. She grimaced, running through possibilities of treatment and how contagious it might be. Moving to the next abandoned soul, she reached with her magic, hoping to get any kind of reaction like she'd seen with the boy.

 _Nothing_.

The sick woman beneath her fingertips smiled softly, her eyes too swollen to see who stood over her cot. This one wouldn't die, Kagome realized, but her magic remained quiet. She closed her eyes, reaching with her senses, trying to pick up any trace of what had befallen these people.

Anything…

Something…

A dim, deep violet. Curiosity. _Behind her_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another bit of a cliffy, but the next one is nearly done.


	15. Seth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome meets someone significant and tries to communicate despite the language barrier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is 11k. uh, get a drink and strap in for a long ride.

As she stood in the dim light of the temple and searched for the source of that curiosity, a vaguely ominous feeling crept into the edge of her awareness. Her gaze flicked up, far above the reflections of sunlight and the poor reach of the torches lining the temple walls. She squinted into the deep shadows near the temple's ceiling and spotted someone standing on a wooden platform several dozen feet above her.

She stared in open curiosity. The humans milling around the dim temple interior moved slow like molasses, stuck as they were outside of her broken time. This stranger looming high above them didn't seem to have the same limitations. She was certain that he was watching her, although he made no movements other than a slight tilt of his head.

They stared at each other for a few moments as Kagome tried to get a feel for his magic from a distance. Aside from the youth she could detect in his _possibly_ youkai spirit, the rest of his magic felt dark and strange, unlike anything she'd encountered before. She was a _little_ wary after sensing the ominous feeling a moment ago, but it seemed to have faded as the two looked at each other.

She was very curious about this stranger, but it didn't look like he meant to come down from his perch to meet. She wondered if he could see her because he was very fast, or maybe he'd detected her magic and could only see her while she held still. Perhaps she could pull him into her time with a touch like she had the others.

She shaded her eyes to peer past the shafts of sunlight streaming through the gaps in the ceiling to examine his location, then traced her sight along the upper levels to find a path to where he stood. She moved quickly through and around the humans toward a set of mosaic-embellished steps that lead to a second floor, then clambered up a ladder next to a stack of wooden crates that lined an outer wall. She stepped out onto a ledge that circled the temple and walked around the room, the stranger's eyes on her the entire time as she found her way to his spot.

She was a little excited to meet this magical creature, the first non-human she'd sensed since she'd arrived. He turned to face her fully as she approached and greeted him with a nod. His eyes followed her movement, but his own nod of greeting was very slow in coming.

She had time to look him over, fascinated by his appearance. His bronze skin had just a hint of glow to it, shimmering in the shadows of the temple loft. He had dark, shoulder-length hair with neatly trimmed bangs that fell in soft waves to frame his face, drawing attention to his kohl-rimmed dark eyes.

He was a foot taller than her, but seemed like he could be her age if he were human. (Although with magical creatures, that could mean he might have come into existence anywhere between two weeks or three hundred years ago.)

It seemed to be a common theme with those in the area to wear lightweight clothing appropriate for the ridiculous heat and sunshine, and he was no exception. The only clothing he wore was a complex skirt of pleated white fabric that fell to his calves. He had a wide golden necklace draped over his shoulders with matching gold bands around his wrists and ankles. He was barefoot, and she spotted subtle claws on his fingers and toes.

He slowly opened his mouth to speak to her, but the sound was muffled and strange, just as it had been with the people she'd passed in the marketplace. She caught the brief flash of fangs as he formed his words. _I wonder_ …

She moved to reach for him, thinking to bring him into her weird time, but he spotted the motion of her hand and lurched backward to avoid it, his hand flicking out to catch her wrist in defense.

They were both startled at the touch that brought his time in alignment with hers, and Kagome almost laughed at his expression of shock. He held her wrist delicately, the tip of a claw gently pricking the edge of her hand as he stared at her for a moment, then turned his gaze downwards to look at the near-frozen people below them. He canted his head as though trying to listen for something that could no longer be heard.

He looked at her before he spoke again, and this time she marveled at the sound of his words, so strange and lyrical and _completely foreign_. She frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

He tilted his head in confusion as he looked at her. He released her wrist and watched with interest as he fell out of her time, then touched her skin again to regain the connection. He traced his fingers up her sleeve with a small grin to gently grip her shoulder, testing how much contact they needed in order to maintain the strange effect as his thumb brushed the sturdy material of her clothes.

He reached toward her hair with his free hand, his curious gaze fixed on the shirt she'd draped over her head. He tugged it loose and examined the cloth with a quirk of his lips. He spoke again, this time in a completely different language and a little less confident with his words as he watched her face for any reaction. It had a more familiar cadence, but she still couldn't understand.

She smiled in apology and shook her head. "I'm not from around here," she uselessly explained, knowing he wouldn't understand her either.

He handed her the shirt and watched with interest as she folded the cloth and stuffed it into the pouch at her side. He caught his lower lip between his teeth, his head tilted again at an adorable angle as he considered her. Placing a hand on his chest with a small smile, he said one word that was clearly meant to be his name: "Seth."

She paused, watching him as she thought. In some old cultures, to know something's name was to give it power over them. She had a moment of wariness, wondering if that was just some old superstition or if it held a grain of truth, especially in a strange place with even stranger magic such as this.

He thought she didn't understand and repeated his name, then touched his fingertips gently to her breastbone with an encouraging smile. He didn't _feel_ bad or give her the creeps like he could be someone or something dangerous, regardless of the subtle ominous atmosphere still clinging to the far recesses of the temple. She motioned to herself and said, "Kagome."

He smiled with genuine delight. "Kagome," he said, and she felt the skin along the back of her neck prickle with a pleasant sensation. Her name in his voice was like honey, dripping and sweet.

She bowed her head in greeting, and he copied her motion. Then he stuck out his free hand in something that must have been a regional welcome, and she reached out to clasp his hand with her own. He shook his head and pushed her hand higher so they grasped each other's forearm like she'd seen Baikal and Sesshoumaru do just the day before. His smile was so wide that his dark eyes crinkled at the edges as he beamed at her.

She laughed. _What a strange person_ , she thought. So full of life, and she could see many questions in his gaze as he released her arm to look her over in curiosity, plucking at her shirt with his claws, flicking a curled lock of her hair between his fingertips, tracing the edge of the weapon slung over her shoulder. His time slipped in and out of sync each time his touch drifted too far away, and it was a little disconcerting having so much time to watch his expressions change between his careful examinations.

He caught her sleeve to hold their time together and waved at the people below them as he tilted his head. It could mean anything, from 'why are you here,' to 'why are you moving quickly while they are not' and she frowned, unsure of how she might respond.

His dark eyes glowed a shimmering violet as he touched his free hand to his chin, looking thoughtful as he considered her silence. He glanced around them as though to make sure no one was watching, then spoke with a touch of magic lacing his voice. The sound that spilled from his throat had a strange shuddering vibration that sounded so _wrong_ that her magic flared deep within her chest in an involuntary defensive reaction. Dual tones overlapped and she shivered at the feeling of darkness creeping down her spine, but his still-unfamiliar words now held the distinct impression of a question. _Why help them?_

She blinked and stared at him in surprise. He watched her with a wide grin, waiting for a response and apparently pleased with himself for whatever he'd just done.

How could she answer such a question for someone who could not understand what she said? She spoke anyways, hoping her inflection gave clues where her words would undoubtedly fail. "If I can help, I don't want to stand aside and let others suffer. I share with those less fortunate." She touched a hand to her heart and smiled down at the people below. She glanced up at him, and there was more confusion in his expression. He looked thoughtfully down at the people below, then gazed at his open hand with a frown.

She caught her lower lip in her teeth as she considered his youthful face. She was a little reminded of the day when a teenaged Shippo had told her goodbye. He'd been just on the cusp of adulthood with no clue of what he should be doing or how he should behave. She waved her hand before him and said, "Hey," to catch his attention. Once he looked up at her, she reached out for his face and paused with her fingers inches from his cheek, waiting to see if she could touch him.

He glanced at her hand and tilted his head with new questions in his eyes. Perhaps he considered it fair that she should be granted such allowances after all the touching and poking he'd done in his curiosity. He stepped a little bit closer, the expression on his face betraying his wariness as he tried to maintain a friendly smile. They _were_ still strangers, despite how much prodding he'd done.

She brushed her fingertips along his jawline with a soft smile, willing the genuine care she had for others to reach through the barrier of language so that he might understand.

She realized her mistake as his hair briefly ruffled with the rush of power between them, but then she was a little surprised that the jewel hardly affected him, even less than it had with Hiei or Shippo.

Sesshoumaru and Baikal were very powerful youkai, but both had shown significant reactions when she'd reached for them. Baikal because he didn't seem to care about ridiculous displays of power, while Sesshoumaru had been careful and quick to rein in his youki.

Was this male so weak that the power did little for him, like she'd seen so little reaction with the sick humans below? Or was he already so powerful that the jewel wouldn't make much of a difference? Neither idea made any sense. He was not human, and his magic was significant enough to detect from a distance, although she hadn't noticed it prior to finding and helping the young boy.

Perhaps familiarity with her type of magic lessened the reaction, outward or otherwise, with the power of the jewel? Could it rely on someone's lineage?

 _So many unknowns_.

She couldn't help herself as she touched his face. Her magic reached out, tentative, seeking the nuances of his spirit. The strangeness was still very obvious, like a mix of burning cold darkness touched with violet shades of deep twilight. Scattered amongst the dark was a sparkle of gold, flickering through his shadows like brilliant fireflies.

He sighed and reached up to touch the back of her hand. Her thumb brushed his cheek as she cupped his face, and the sadness she felt for those who were sick suddenly welled up within her. A tear spilled from her eyes and he watched in fascination as it trickled down her cheek.

He nodded slowly as the fingertip of his free hand traced the wet line it left behind. His shuddering dual-toned voice came once more, and feeling his skin as he spoke the words made her fingers burn like she'd been brushed with a bone-deep frost. She snatched her hands back in surprise before the meaning became clear: "Love."

He reached out with both of his hands to take her left hand, enveloping her fingers with his warmth as he brushed his thumbs across the skin of her knuckles. He tried to smile, but it didn't quite meet his eyes this time as he turned his gaze downwards to those beneath them once more.

"Weak."

The sound burned into her skin, but he held tight as he stared at the humans with a frown. Small statements like this did not hurt, but if he started into a _speech,_ that might be a different story.

She watched his expression in concern, trying to figure out this word without context. Did he mean that it was a weakness to care for those who needed her help, or that they were weak and didn't _deserve_ it?

She let him hold her hand as she examined his aura, trying to feel out more of his nature with her magic. Whatever was in play was subtle and reserved. He wasn't using it actively, so there was little to define what _it_ was. All she could pick up was the sense of darkness and light. His appearance _seemed_ youkai in nature, but she couldn't be certain, despite how her defenses had flared in response to his strange use of magic to communicate.

Whatever he was, his magic was _very_ unlike hers, and she wondered if the fire of her purity would harm him.

Was he here as a curious observer, or had he been here for some darker purpose? He didn't seem inclined to help any of those on the temple floor.

She had little time to linger on it. He looked up at her, his dark hair suddenly wild as his eyes glowed with an intense excitement. He motioned with his head that they should go elsewhere, then he stepped close to loop his arm around her waist before pulling her with him _right off the edge_.

' _Blasted youkai and their spontaneous ledge jumps!'_ Her stomach flipped and her throat clenched in surprise at the unexpected free-fall from such a height.

Then came a new discovery for them both: the air (or gravity?) refused to allow her to speed through like she would have if time were working at a normal pace. She watched, shocked, as Seth awkwardly dangled from her side while she floated down from their spot on the platform.

She nearly laughed at his expression as he tugged on her sleeve and reached for her wrist, trying to get whatever was happening to be more _normal._ A few moments later, her feet settled on the smooth marble flooring of the temple and he stared at her like she was some mysterious thing he'd never encountered before. (Well, in her defense, she probably _was_.)

Kagome had to guess that whatever time magic she was sharing with him didn't extend to _all_ the weird things she thought had been related to her time being broken.

He tugged her from the temple grounds, and as she followed him away, she glanced back and realized a few humans in the temple were staring at the place where she'd landed. They must have noticed something out of the ordinary, and she cringed a little as she wondered what kinds of mystical explanations they'd come up with to describe the strangeness they'd seen in the temple that day.

He stopped at a bend in the road and turned her so they could look back at the massive structure towering behind them. He waved with a hand, apparently indicating its grand nature as his words flowed quickly with pride. He gestured to himself with a wide smile, and Kagome got the impression that he was trying to tell her that either he'd had a hand in creating the impressive building (which she somehow doubted) or that it had something to do with his family (more likely, based on the strangeness of his magic).

She glanced up at one of the great statues with a canine face and considered possibilities as he tugged her back down the road she'd followed earlier. Those immense animal-faced statues certainly seemed to imply supplication toward something out of the ordinary, but aside from his claws and fangs, Seth didn't look or feel very much like what she would recognize as an animal-based youkai. Perhaps he had some kind of half- status?

If her assumption that he was half youkai and half _something else_ held true, was that _something else_ someone that looked like the great statues? An ancient Egyptian god of some kind? Or maybe these statues were actually representative of his youkai parent, and the youkai was the one being revered by these people.

He ran ahead of her, his hand on hers as he pulled her along with a laugh.

He led her to the river and out onto the docks she'd seen earlier to show her one of the larger boats tied to the structure. It was an expensive-looking craft with a great grey sail and shining decorations along its hull and mast.

He described with his hands and excitement in his voice the comings and goings of the vessels along the river, how they brought in foods and visitors from far away places. He asked if she'd arrived by boat, too, and she shook her head in response. She was thankful that he seemed to understand that his magic-laced method of communication caused her some form of distress and avoided using it as much as possible. They found subtle ways to indicate what they meant with small touches and careful gestures.

He brought her to a long-abandoned building that had been ruined some decades ago by flooding. Tall reeds grew in strange places along the stone paving and a wild spray of vines and weeds clung to the derelict walls. The waterline lapped at cracked and crumbling stone steps slick with damp green algae.

He snuck an arm around her waist again and leapt to the top of the tallest pillar, where he balanced precariously with her tucked easily against his side as he pointed out over the land with proud murmurings and cheerful smiles.

He grinned with mischief as gathered her in his arms and leapt down, clinging tightly to her as time forced their descent into a ridiculously slow float to the ground. His amusement at the strangeness of it made her laugh in turn. It _was_ a bit silly to think of how that probably looked, and helped distract from the idea that he might be using it as an excuse to keep invading her space.

She had never spent quite so much time plastered to a stranger, not even that one time _forever ago_ when Kouga had tossed her over his shoulder for a long and drawn-out kidnapping.

He turned toward her with an almost foxy grin as he wove with her through the humans clogging the dirt roads.

He obviously thought highly of himself and his status amongst these people. His pristine white clothing and shining adornments made him stand out like a sparkling jewel amongst the regular humans.

Her thoughts bounced through possibilities about his nature and his parentage and who he _really_ was behind the cute smile and insistent tugging as he led her through the marketplace. A small piece of bright pink fruit appeared before her nose as he looped them past a crowd surrounding a stall piled high with similarly colored foods. She glanced at him as he popped one in his mouth, feeling a little uneasy.

Did he just take these from the vendor? She considered turning around to put it back, but his hand held firm as he tugged her further down the street. He seemed to be terribly amused by the experience of being stuck outside of time with her and prepared to take full advantage of the situation.

She sighed. A single piece of fruit would probably do no harm, but she didn't like that it may have been stolen. She had enough supplies to keep her comfortable until she could get out of here, even if she didn't learn a thing about survival in this harsh place. They passed a shriveled old man crouched against the wall of a building, his gnarled and dirty hands outstretched and empty. She pulled free from Seth's grip and carefully pressed her fruit into the old man's fingers. He definitely looked like he needed a bite of something to eat.

She placed her hand back in Seth's just as he turned around to see where she'd gone. He paused and stared between her and the old man with concern. He'd clearly meant for her to eat the small treat and couldn't understand why she had given it away. She smiled at him encouragingly with a hand over her heart. She was starting to get the impression that he may have spent a good portion of his life on a shining pedestal, and that he must not think very highly of the regular people. She hoped her actions would demonstrate what she couldn't communicate with her words.

He brushed fingertips across her hair with an indulgent smile, and she wondered if he had just decided to humor her. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion as he turned away and tugged her further down the street.

The street appeared boring for the next short distance, so she surreptitiously pulled open the pouch at her side and rummaged into its dark depths to peek at her device's countdown timer. _Who decided an entire day was fine to be stuck in strange places?_ Despite the sun still being quite high overhead, she was happy to see the countdown progressing as though _her_ time continued to run as usual. She quickly closed the pouch again and adjusted the bow slung over her shoulders. It wouldn't be good if she lost something in this weird place.

He led her up a set of stairs that crested a small hill, and she glanced over her shoulder at the tops of buildings as they came into view. She was briefly enthralled by the sight of so many pale flat surfaces, devoid of the crowds of people that were stuck to the streets as they clung to the tidbits of shade beneath the tented canopies of market stalls or wooden overhangs.

The view was broken by sparse items scattered over the tops of a few of the small buildings: an occasional woven rug, a small table, a wooden crate or two.

Only one person could be spotted on those shadeless rooftops as the sun bore down on them.

Her presence drew Kagome's interest and she slowed to get a better look. Seth tugged at her hand, then noticed where her attention had gone. The girl Kagome had spotted practically _glowed_. She lounged in the sunshine, her face turned toward the sky as her sparkling golden hair reflected the light with rainbow-like shimmers. Kagome blinked, forgetting to cast out her senses to try and figure out what it was that she was staring at.

The girl must have felt attention on her and turned her face toward them. Seth made a noise of dismay as he stepped down to loop an arm around Kagome's waist and brushed a nose along her cheek with an insistent tug on her hand to regain her attention. Shocked at his _even more_ forward behavior, she blinked at the young male who grinned at her with a short chuckle before releasing her waist to tug at her hand again.

She glanced back once more just in time to see the girl had stood to stare back at Kagome in open curiosity.

He laughed with a new idea and scooped her into his arms to leap high above the city in a show of strength (and probably to also enjoy Kagome's weird floating descent while holding her close). The idea was novel and she appreciated the first boost over the city, but immediately after the _second_ daring leap she happened to spot a woman being assaulted in a narrow alleyway just below them.

Kagome pointed down and gestured at what she had seen, shouting at him that they needed to go help. He glanced at her in disinterest. When she tried yanking a lock of his hair to get him to pay attention to her, he chuckled and pulled her hand free with a grin like she'd done something funny. He nudged her chin and pointed instead at another section of the city, farther up the river in the distance.

Frustrated that he wasn't listening to her, she struggled and squirmed to get loose from Seth's tightening grip, finally resorting to something that she wasn't sure would work (or might work too well) and flared her magic to force him to let go of her.

The burst of her magic surprised him enough that she broke free from his careful grip and pushed herself down to undo the upward trajectory he'd intended with his impossibly high jumps. She knew he'd continue upwards for a little while, stuck in real time as she slid away toward the rooftops below. She had plenty of time to examine the situation more closely. She had a feeling that if he could, he might try to prevent her from interfering, but he wouldn't be able to reach her before she'd already finished.

 _Five_ troublemakers had cornered a girl with a basket of goods. Under normal circumstances, Kagome might have shouted for help or fired an arrow at one of the interlopers, but she had this new strange time trick up her sleeve. As soon as she landed on solid ground, she ran toward the would-be assailants and slid between them to grab the young lady by the arm. The girl had been geared up to fight back and Kagome narrowly avoided her wild defensive swing. She gasped in surprise at Kagome's sudden appearance and nearly dropped her basket, but rolled with the change in circumstance to flee her attackers in the brief moment of reprieve granted by Kagome's time slip.

Once they'd arrived at a busy street where the girl could escape with her belongings—and _herself_ —intact, Kagome smiled and released her to make her own hasty retreat. She hoped her small intervention was enough to allow the girl time to get home and find solace, but unless she stuck around for a while to watch what happened next, she wouldn't know for sure how it ended up.

She climbed a ladder along one of the buildings and pulled herself up to stand on the roof under the blazing sunlight. Shading her eyes, she cast out her magic, reaching until she found Seth's approximate location before she found him with her gaze, still some distance above her.

His expression of irritation was almost comical as he stared at her, falling slowly through the sky still some minutes away from her position. She sat back on the roof and watched his slow descent with a small smile, wondering what he might have been thinking in his short moments between losing his grip on her and realizing she'd left him to go do something in which he'd had no interest.

She pulled out a snack from her pouch and nibbled its edge as he drifted toward her with a look of bewilderment. So many questions could be read in his gaze as he scanned her for injury. She could imagine the stream of _whys_ that someone like Inuyasha might have dumped on her, once upon a time.

Why had she broken free from his grip midair?

Why had she jumped from his arms?

Why do anything for some stranger, a _human_ , in trouble?

Kagome hoped he would someday understand that having power didn't make them _better than others_ , it just meant having more ability— _more opportunity_ —to do the right thing. Why should they have these gifts if they didn't use them to make the world a better place for all? How is one person's comfort and pleasure more important than an entire community's?

Where others might have seen a spoiled boy, Kagome saw an impressionable young man that enjoyed finer things in life but hadn't yet seen how much good his inherent advantages could provide for others less fortunate.

She knew that she could have a million words to describe why she should strive to be a better person and never get her point across, but maybe an action or two demonstrating care for others might just do the trick.

Or _not_ , as he landed and brushed his hand over her hair, looking her over with a new light in his eyes. His lips curled into a slight smile as he tilted his head, then he gently tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as he quietly led her back toward the temple where they'd met.

He spoke softly at her side, his lilting words and quiet inflections sounding sweet and almost crooning. Short statements and questions were interspersed with short laughs as he glanced at her with small smiles and sparkling eyes. He seemed _pleased_ , which was nice but a little disconcerting, given that she had no idea what the heck he could be so happy about. She certainly couldn't stay for any length of time to be some new city guardian or temple priestess for the people.

Not that he'd need to know that she meant to go as soon as her little device allowed such a thing. She almost felt bad that, if he'd begun forming some weird long-term plans involving her, she'd just vanish on him before the sun set that day, and they'd probably never see each other again.

Seth pulled her past the looming statues and around the visitors heading toward the main entrance to a black, stone-lined path that followed a side wall of the temple. The path was edged with narrow streams of irrigation that dribbled water through and around the occasional plot of flowers or tiny copse of trees. The path ended at a small fountain, the curve of water streaming from the end of a sculpted pitcher sparkling in the bright sunshine.

Seth smirked and draped his arm around her waist, lifting her in a light leap to the roof of the temple. They alighted upon a pale marble walkway that shimmered in the bright sunlight, far above where any normal human might venture. She was surprised to see an elaborate open living space tucked out of sight from passersby at the very the center of the temple roof, shaded from the sun by a simple white wood ceiling supported by another series of stone pillars. There was no stairs or ladder that seemed to lead to this upper level, which meant it had been set aside as a place only for those who could easily reach it.

He smiled and released her hand just inside the main room, leaving her to explore in her own time without his constant hovering. She cast out her senses to see if she were truly alone, then stepped hesitantly into the spacious room. She wasn't sure where Seth planned to go without her, but she didn't really care, too pleased to have a moment to herself.

Pulling open her pouch, she glanced at the timer countdown and breathed a short sigh of relief that she'd passed the halfway mark some time ago. She blinked in surprise at the accompanying realization that she'd spent over twelve hours exploring a strange place with the sun barely moving overhead. Suppressing a yawn, she walked quietly into the room and peered around at the furnishings, catching glimpses of soft cushions, brightly colored fabrics thrown across tables, and ornate carved wooden chairs.

A desk along one of the few solid walls had a small stack of papyrus scrolls and a neat stack of fresh clay tablets, the top of which had been scrawled with a series of small pictographs. She smiled with interest as she peered down at a well-worn stylus sitting beside a brush and ink set.

Seeing _this_ kind of detail in history was something she'd have never imagined while reading a history book or listening to an expert drone on about the daily life of someone that lived centuries before them. It was the tiny snippets of _life_ that made history far more relatable and interesting.

A few wide surfaces held bowls and baskets of random foods and flowers accompanied by shining pitchers of what smelled like various types of alcohol.

Great.

Time-hopping was going to end up turning her into some kind of drunken hero. She huffed a lengthy sigh and plopped onto the nearest cushion, poking around in a neighboring basket until she found a handful of nuts and what _looked_ like a plum. She nibbled on her findings for a while and sipped at one of her bottles of water, reflecting on what she'd seen during her short visit to this strange place.

Her new friend was definitely something new and different. His magic seemed strange and subtle, hard to place, and didn't resemble anything that she'd seen before.

She still had many hours ahead of her before she could… her shoulders slumped. Before she could what? Pray for her tiny silver device to show something new and of interest? The screen only showed the _maddening_ countdown timer, like it gave her any answers at all. She wanted to _throttle_ the idiot who designed this interface with absolutely no indication of what the hell she was supposed to do to get more information.

Clenching her jaw in a short burst of irritation, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to relax.

Yes, she might be stuck in her weird time bubble for another ten hours, but she'd had longer waits in far less comfortable locations. Her cushion was a tiny square of bliss, the temperature was manageable, and she was fed and watered.

Time trickled away. She folded her legs and quietly meditated, allowing her mind to wander and her magic to creep out over the edge of the temple roof. The boy still lingered below. She guessed not much real time had passed since she'd left him behind.

She tried to relax, to allow her mind time to recover as she burned her hours. She hoped to eventually find someplace safe enough to sleep, but guessed that she would probably not have an opportunity to do so until she'd left this strange place behind.

Another hour ticked away before Seth returned with a selection of roasted meat. He had probably only been gone for a few minutes of _real_ time, but it didn't matter. She hadn't yet done the math to figure out how much time may have passed for him as she lounged in her weird bubble, disconnected from reality.

He slid into a crouch at her side, his knee casually touching hers so that he could remain in her time and watch as she tasted his offerings of food and sip at the small cup of wine he poured for them both. Despite the language barrier, his small smiles and soft brushes of fingertips in polite places on her sleeves or her shoe gave her the distinct impression that Seth was flirting with her.

He spoke to her in quiet tones and soothing statements as he plied her with more tidbits of meat. He used a tiny knife to slice sweet fruits into thin pieces and kept her cup filled despite her polite waves that he should not keep doing so.

She felt a little overwhelmed. Was he just starved for attention? Poor kid. Maybe his parents ignored him and he just wanted someone to talk to.

She took another sip and frowned, touching the back of his hand in concern as she wondered what someone who lived in such splendor could really want or need that wasn't already handed over on a silver platter.

She eyed the silver platter covered with grapes on the far end of the table.

_Literally._

She stared down at the liquid in her cup as he took the fingers of her free hand and broke into song. _Definitely flirting_.

She froze in surprise at something unexpected: A new creeping darkness teased at the edge of her senses as an unfamiliar magic rolled through the room.

Seth noticed it as well and stood with an excited grin. He waited until the last possible moment to let go of her hand and then his form blurred into a smoke-like substance before he disappeared from her sight, the sense of his magic curling away into nothing. She sat up and stared around the room, wondering at the odd, ominous feeling. It was dark, heavy, and _oppressive_. It felt as though the air was being pushed from the room to be replaced by something that defied life and belonged someplace _awful_.

The uncomfortable magic curled through the room, slowly at first until something within it connected to her magic like the hooked side of a velcro strip. It touched and clung with tiny barbs, rolling over and through her, trapping her magic and pulling her out of her weird time warp.

Sound flooded the room as the breeze slipped in through the wide windows. Kagome's attention was pulled in a dozen directions at once as the normal movement and sounds of life intruded on her senses.

Sudden movement from the corner of her eye turned out to be the fluttering of pale, diaphanous sashes strung between the pillars and along the ceiling. She took a deep, appreciative breath of the new scents drifting in with the breeze while she cautiously listened to the sounds now audible in the room: the soft crackle of the flickering fire behind an ornate metal grate, a distant voice singing an unfamiliar tune, birds calling to one another as a large crow landed noisily on the ledge and peered at her with one intelligent eye.

She stared for a moment as it perched there, and then she blinked. The bird vanished and Seth reappeared at the far end of the room with a second person, much taller and broader than him, wearing an imposing black mask that covered his entire head. Kagome choked out a gasp and stood in a hurry, her gaze riveted upon what appeared to be the physical manifestation of the towering statues she'd seen in front of the temple. Either this was one of the best practical jokes that had _ever_ been played on a time-traveler, or she might be in trouble.

He seemed to glide with impossibly smooth strides across the shimmering tile floor as the two approached her, and Kagome wondered if his floor-length, blinding white skirt disguised the fact that he actually floated. Draped around his neck were sparkling golden ornaments even more impressive than Seth's, and he'd hidden his face behind an ebony carved mask depicting a stylized canine.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sheer magnitude of his presence. Under more normal circumstances, she knew she would have been excited to meet someone like this, but his aura screamed _pissed_ and _murder._ Kagome shuddered. It reminded her of one of the times Sesshoumaru had been _very_ angry before he'd unleashed his beast and destroyed everything in his path.

This male didn't feel like a youkai, though. His aura blanketed the space and displaced the very air around her. Her own magic flared in a flimsy attempt to hold it at bay as it pressed in around her, choking like a blanket of thick smoke.

She glanced at Seth in confusion as he tensed, and she belatedly recognized that the _feel_ of their magic matched. She wondered if Seth had done something wrong by bringing her here, and had upset this person who might be his father?

But no, her heart sank as the male stopped directly in front of her. Something defensive in her magic swelled, prickling up her neck as she clenched her hands in wariness.

His voice, though quiet, rumbled through the room with vibrating force as he murmured more of the language she did not understand.

"I'm sorry, I-"

Seth cut in with a hasty explanation, and despite the language difference, she _recognized_ a word one might use for a father figure. The tall male's hand suddenly _appeared_ before the teen's face and his mouth snapped shut in wide-eyed surprise.

Kagome could see tension running along the older male's shoulders. "You do not belong here," the ominous male said, this time in words Kagome could easily understand.

She sighed in relief. "Oh thank _everything_ , you can understand me. I'm here on accident, and I'll leave again as soon as I can."

He tilted his face closer as he stared at her through the dark slits in his mask. His eyes glowed a deep violet and Kagome suddenly felt as though he stared _through_ her. She noticed those eyes narrowing behind the mask as he reached up to pull it from his face. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she cringed as it came loose with a strange hissing sound. He scowled down at her with absolutely blazing violet eyes set in a surprisingly normal adult male face and she blinked in surprise. His eyes narrowed in suspicion that she seemed unaffected by his appearance.

Was she supposed to be awed? Was there something in his magic that was meant to scare her senseless at the sight of his bared face? There must have been, otherwise what's the deal with the mask if he's just _normal_? She would chew on this strangeness, later, once her brain had a chance to circle back around to the thought.

" _You_ do not belong _here._ " His inflection confused her as she glanced sideways at Seth, who watched the two of them speak with open curiosity.

"Here? With… _him_? I… I can leave. _Now_. I'm so sorry to intrude." She meant to step backwards, to flee from his presence, but she felt inexplicably frozen with fear as the mask dissipated in a puff of smoke and he glanced over her with a brief narrowing of his eyes.

A large hand lifted from his side and hovered before her face. She briefly noticed his lack of claws as he poked a blunt fingertip between her eyes.

Her knees buckled and her breath left her chest in an anguished scream as her very soul seemed to detach from her body with an echoing pulse. Her brain felt fried as her spirit scrabbled to find its way back where it belonged. Her vision was split between staring sightlessly at the dim sparkle of skin along the torso of the male that had just _broken_ her and an odd afterimage of the back of her frazzled hair as she knelt, half-slumped before this impossible creature.

The fingertip finally left her forehead and her spirit found purchase at the edges of her corporeal form and _snapped_ itself back into position. She gasped as the life suddenly returned to her body. She felt like she had _died_ for those few seconds. The drain on her magic was extreme, but the unsealed jewel replenished it rapidly as she stood on shaky limbs, gaping up at the tall male scowling down at her.

"Go. _Now_."

She shivered, rubbing her forehead as she nodded, backing quickly away from the strange adult as the cloud of angry magic stormed around the room once more. She shuddered in response and darted from the room, not daring to look behind her as she fled.

This place was too strange. Her ancient history was a little rusty, but she got the very strong impression that she'd just had a brush with Death himself. And then this _place_ … Anubis? _Surely not._ She'd have to have accidentally traveled… _thousands_ of years in the past? But gods didn't truly _die_ _—_ or did they?—so she could be in any year so long as there were old-school temples still being used to honor the old gods out in the middle of the desert. Either way, she absolutely wasn't in a modern year.

The hooked barbs of the weird magic that had pulled her out of the time slip began to break away as she fled, and soon the sounds fell away and the sweet breeze died down into still silence.

She jumped to the lower level, probably startling a few people as she floated through the air. Once her toes touched the ground she dashed away, running quickly along the streets between the people still going about their daily affairs with no notice of the girl flashing impossibly fast in their midst.

She wasn't sure where the heck she should go.

She wasn't sure what the heck she was even _supposed to be doing there_.

Why would her device have this destination show up unless there was something there she needed to accomplish? Was helping that little boy with his illness her goal? Was her task showing that cocky teen that there was more to life than shiny things and power?

Maybe she'd been destined to meet Death on that day, and her heart clenched in a brief moment of terror. If she was meant to meet him like _this_ , what the hell did that mean for her future?

She wasn't sure if the lack of seal made her easier to track, and she definitely didn't want to be followed by mysterious magical creatures (neither the flirty _nor_ the murderous kind), so she snagged a seal from her pouch as she ran and slapped it to the skin of her throat, not sure exactly how much of a difference it would make to have it placed in the wrong spot. The sounds of the city immediately assaulted her ears with shouts of wares for sale, animals braying, children laughing, and items crashing along the road as her sudden appearance startled a beast of burden. She flinched in surprise, staring up at the cart as it tipped over sideways and spilled several crates of small brown items across the dusty road. The man guiding the cart hissed in anger. She ran for it.

She flared her magic to hopefully muddle her scent and the path she took before darting to the left to squeeze between two homes. She nearly tripped over a wooden fence containing tiny furred creatures before she burst from the end of the alley into another patch of oppressively bright sunshine. She paused, momentarily blinded as she tried to decide on the best direction. There was no obvious choice, so she sprinted to the right, beelining for the next break between the little homes.

She wanted a nap and some quiet to think without being on guard. She _wanted_ to be somewhere familiar, wanted to not be running away from dangers, alone and feeling like a scared rabbit with no allies to turn to.

Back home while surrounded by friends and family, the power of the jewel might have made her feel nearly invincible, but she'd definitely found more than a few reasons to suspect that wasn't actually the case.

The glowing girl she'd spotted some time before dropped into her path and Kagome skidded to a halt, a startled scream caught in her throat. The girl tilted her head and _sparkled_ at her with a mischievous smile. She held a finger to her lips and glanced around them, then motioned for her to follow.

Another stranger, another trip through the streets, but this time, with the sounds and the breeze and the people in movement all around, it felt quite a bit different. The girl was an embodiment of warmth and light, practically dripping with excess energy as though she couldn't hold on to it. If it weren't already so unbelievably hot in this place, Kagome imagined she'd make an excellent space heater.

The mystery girl turned to grin over her shoulder and spoke quietly in the region's strange language. Kagome wished she could understand. The girl's gaze flicked around the area and she chuckled with a hand covering her mouth, her pristine claws sharp and glowing with light that left little trails in their wake. Belatedly, Kagome noticed the tip of a dark tail peeking out from beneath her loose flowing robes.

There was a hardened path leading away from the streets between a few more scattered buildings that opened up into another expanse of sand-filled emptiness. The glowing girl paused there and pointed to a dark speck in the distance with a few more of her strange words.

This female seemed to abound with youthful joy and energy without any of the male posturing she'd just navigated, so she wearily followed the stranger as she guided her across what felt like another hour of trudging over endless sand. She immediately missed the ability to walk with general ease across the sandy surface. Her shoes sunk with each step, and soon she felt like sand had been jammed into every possible crevice: her shoes, her pockets, her pouch, inside her shirt, creeping beneath her socks and underwear. She longed to strip bare and shake like a dog before showering under ice cold water.

She was not disappointed when they arrived at the speck, which turned out to be a very small oasis with a scattering of palm trees and a few half-tents erected to shade travelers from the sun. A handful of sturdy cushions had been left in a haphazard pile, and a single traveler was in the middle of packing their supplies onto a horse. The traveler ignored their arrival as his dark eyes squinted against the glare of the sun. He had a scruffy dark beard barely visible at the edge of a dusty wrap likely used to protect his face from the winds that probably plagued the people living in this harsh environment.

The glowing girl asked something, and Kagome looked up to see her offering a piece of bread and some dried fruit with a kind smile. Kagome took the food and sat wearily on a weathered, dusty cushion.

"I'm so sorry we can't talk. You seem like a nice person," she quietly lamented as she pulled a small chunk of bread free with her fingertips. It was soft and sweet, and she chewed thoughtfully. The dried fruits looked like dates. The grit of sand in her mouth— _kami it was everywhere_ —made her cringe. She pulled a fresh bottle of water from her pouch and took a sip. The idea that people lived in this environment _permanently_ was impossible for her to understand. Even roughing it in the wilds of Japan was a cakewalk to this dry expanse. Water had been plentiful, trees were a common sight, and…

She sighed. She had people she knew she could reach out to for support and companionship. She knew where she could go to be safe.

The girl sat on the ground against a palm tree nearby and tilted her head up to the sky, content to sit and lounge in the sunshine. She peeked at Kagome with a grin before she started in with what could only be described as _girl talk_. The inflection was unmistakably exasperation as several utterances included a word (or several) that sounded suspiciously like _Seth_. The eye rolls, the waving hands, the shaking fist, the arms that flopped to the ground alongside her in resignation. Kagome laughed and bit her lip to try and suppress the yawn crept up on her. (She failed, and her yawn was _huge_. It had been a long "day".)

The girl gasped and fluttered her hands in surprise before lunging forward to rearrange extra pillows within the tent. Kagome was at a loss for words. This was completely unexpected hospitality from a stranger. The girl dropped a warm hand on Kagome's head with a sweet smile. Curious, Kagome reached up to touch the girl's wrist and an interested expression lit up the girl's face. They held hands for a moment as Kagome reached out and examined the girl's magic with her own. The power of the jewel swelled briefly between them and the girl laughed in delight as her sparkling golden-black hair fluffed briefly in the swirling eddies of magic.

Kagome smiled at what she found. Golden sunshine suffused the girl's spirit, and she had a few dark violet smudges tucked away in the deepest corners of her heart. Both types of energy felt exactly like what she'd detected from Seth. It made sense that the few magical creatures she'd encountered in this place were probably related somehow.

Kagome was interested in the feeling that their balance of power seemed swapped. So much light within this girl, while so little within Seth. They seemed of similar age, and then the idea that they were siblings took hold and wouldn't budge. She smiled at this, thinking that he'd probably taken more after his father and she'd taken more after their mother.

The girl reached out with her magic, too, shooting a sparkle of warmth through Kagome that felt both like a beam of sunshine and the toe-curling delight of that kiss from Kurama. Kagome gasped and her eyes shot open with surprise as she blinked at the girl, who snatched her hands back and turned a bright shade of pink. She waved her hands with a nervous laugh and scooted back to put distance between them as she peeked through her lashes at Kagome.

She never would have guessed if the girl hadn't reached back with her magic. _Kitsune_. The tail made better sense, now. Kagome rolled her eyes, wondering if all of the posturing she'd been wading through that day was because a half-kitsune male had been looking for fun.

It was a risky decision, but Kagome really needed a nap. She still had several hours before the timer expired and she'd be able to finally escape (she _hoped_ ), but in case something awful happened in the next few hours, having some rest would boost her ability to react.

She mimed her intentions to the sunshine girl, who nodded in understanding and leaned back against her tree to keep watch. Or at least, Kagome _guessed_ to keep watch. She had the least ominous aura she'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing, even more tame than _Shippo_ , whose only fault was that he liked to tease and play tricks. Kagome closed her eyes to carefully focus and dropped the best barrier she could manage within her tiny shelter. She hoped it would be enough to keep danger at bay, at least long enough that she could wake up and fight back, if it came to such a thing.

She dozed lightly in the heat of the afternoon, but every small sound that intruded on the oasis jerked her awake. The girl took notice and relaxed her aura, blanketing the oasis with shimmering sunshine youki like a muffling cloud of dazzling warmth that would easily deter most humans. Kagome relaxed marginally, feeling more at ease the longer the peace remained undisturbed.

The girl started to hum an unfamiliar tune that eventually lulled Kagome into a restful daze.

Kagome roused only once the humming trailed off. The thin shadows cast by the few palm trees had lengthened and the air had cooled. Kagome watched as her nameless friend stood and faced something out of view with her hands on her hips. She frowned and stepped out of sight, then Kagome heard her speaking quietly to someone with hurried, harsh tones.

She fumbled for her little device to see how much time was left on the countdown timer.

Thirty minutes.

 _Thank goodness_. She stretched in relief and sat up, looking around to make sure she still had everything attached to her person.

The sunshine warmth of the girl's aura suddenly pulled back, compressed in what _felt_ like a defensive movement. Kagome jumped in surprise, then peeked under the edge of the shelter to see what was going on. Two pairs of bare feet with golden trinkets around their ankles could be seen, and then she recognized Seth's very subtle magic just before he replied, his voice sounding much less sweet and cajoling as irritation hurried the syllables.

She peered around the edge of the shelter to get a better look at their faces and spotted the girl waving her hands at Seth with an angry expression, as though she wanted to shoo him away. She wondered if she should just sit out their argument for the next thirty minutes and pretend to be asleep.

Kagome watched in silence as their words became an argument and continued in rushed, heated tones. Seth shook his head and said something that caused the girl's eyes to widen in alarm. She bit her lip and met Kagome's eyes, clearly torn between staying and going somewhere she seemed to be needed. Kagome smiled softly and gestured around herself. With the barrier, she'd be safe. She pressed her hands to her heart and gave her the biggest, most thankful smile she could muster.

It looked like it worked, and the girl seemed relieved. She nodded curtly at Seth and waved with a soft smile at Kagome before vanishing in a glowing trail of light that indicated she'd leapt straight upwards. Kagome squinted up into the sky but could not see where she'd gone.

Seth turned slightly to peer at her over his shoulder with a mild look of regret. Once he turned to face her fully, she realized his white skirt was torn and dirty, with rusty splotches trailing down the front of one leg. His hair was in wild disarray that conspicuously covered half of his face, and whatever fancy eye makeup he had applied had been smeared into a black and purple smudge around his eye.

He sighed and stepped closer to duck beneath the thick fabric of her shelter and paused, surprised when he came in contact with her barrier. He ran a fingertip in curiosity along its surface, wincing against the burn as pink sparks followed his touch. He leaned close with an indecipherable expression as he used his magic to intone a single word, _danger_ , and beckoned to her with an open hand.

Kagome frowned and shook her head. Anything dangerous coming this way would have to get past her barrier, and surely she'd be be gone in less than half an hour, anyways.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head in frustration. At his movement, a flash of shining red along his face under the sweep of his dark hair caught her attention and she brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. He froze as she reached through her barrier to brush his hair away from his face, exposing the side of his head where a wicked and still-bleeding gash ran diagonal along his cheek and into his hair. Bruising blossomed around his eye and a red scrape edged the wounds as though he'd had his face dragged along a rough stone floor. She realized that the black and purple around his other eye wasn't _just_ smeared makeup. She exclaimed in concern and reached for him with both hands to pull him into her barrier.

Had his father done this? _Why?_

She pressed seeking fingertips to his jaw and _reached_ with her magic, watching as the wounds sealed shut and the discoloring faded.

Seth tore his mouth away from hers in surprise as a metallic chime pinged, cutting through the haze that had enveloped her thoughts. She sucked in a breath, belatedly realizing what had happened as Seth dismissed the unexplained distraction and pulled her close, his warm lips sealing to hers once more. She mentally panicked as she tried to pull away and his face followed hers, a hand in her hair tugging her face into a better angle for him to suck on her bottom lip. Her muffled protests broke into a moan as a warm, sugary tongue slid into her mouth. He had somehow gotten a hand into her bodysuit through the fastenings along her side, and she shuddered at the sensation of his warm fingertips sliding along the skin of her back.

A pleasant tingle of lust trickled through her body wherever he touched. She recognized the taste of this magic as he leaned over her with a hum. _Oh right, kitsune._

She was left with no doubt that he was related to her nameless sparkling friend, but he had none of the same shyness or hesitation. She wanted to be mad, but she was in the process of melting in his arms as he knelt to settle her against one of the cushions in the shelter, something warm and fluffy curling around the back of her leg.

He released her lips for a moment to trace his nose along her cheek, quiet murmurs of his beautiful, unfamiliar language spilling from his lips with an utterance of her name before he nipped her ear with a quiet chuckle. She couldn't even be bothered by whatever was lumpy and sharp—probably her weapons—jabbing into her side as he peeked at her with half-lidded eyes.

His gaze briefly dropped to her throat as he ran a tongue over his lip, and he leaned forward to catch the edge of her paper seal between his teeth, peeling it away to drop on the cushion beside her. They both shuddered as the power swelled between them. A hand tightened in her hair as his tongue darted out to trace up the line of her throat before he reclaimed her lips with a sigh.

Kagome found it too easy to lift her hand to the chest inches above her own, to slide curious fingertips along the warm line of muscle, to drape her hand across the back that flexed and shuddered under her touch.

He withdrew his hand from the gap he'd opened in her bodysuit to tug at more of the fastenings along her hip, intent on gaining more access to skin as his knee nudged between her thighs, inches from where she ached, and not nearly close enough.

_danger danger_ _**danger** _

Something jerked at her awareness, and she regained enough of her sense of self-preservation to realize something bad—or _good_ , her body argued with an accompanying moan—was about to happen. Her brain was caught between the drugging fog easily stripping away her ability to think and the sudden, pressing fear that her life was in peril.

Even as she tangled the fingers of one hand into the hair at the back of his neck, she blindly jammed the other into the pouch at her waist, fumbling for her device as his mouth slid wetly off her lips and down her jaw. His hand slid deep into her bodysuit to trace the tips of claws dangerously close to the juncture of her thighs.

An arm tightened around her before he placed an open-mouthed kiss against the soft skin of her throat, his fangs nicking her skin as her fingers finally found smooth metal and frantically tapped everywhere on its surface. He _growled_ as his tongue swiped over the cuts and her hand clenched tightly around the metal device as that rumbling sound rippled straight through to her core.

Whatever tiny part of her thoughts remained lucid sent a silent prayer to anyone listening that another random time hop would get her free, because otherwise she was about to say _yes_ to whatever this male was doing to her.

An angry roar from _extremely_ close by rattled her teeth, and she found herself flung backwards through the air as Seth pushed away from her. Kagome blinked in surprise at the image of the shelter shredded beside them, caught in an explosion of wood and fabric that flowed through the air. She had the shortest glimpse of a swiftly moving hand as it swiped through the air where they'd been a moment before, missing them by inches.

_Oh._ _**Danger** _ _._

Kagome briefly met Seth's determined eyes before the device yanked her through time once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> end note 1: plz don't look too deeply into the use of the name Seth here. While I did delve into some ancient mythology, I am not using it as any kind of solid base for anything, it just happens to be a name I liked. Also, Hu (from book 2) changed her name more than once in the centuries after she left home. Knowing her original name did not feel necessary at this point and I felt it might be too confusing for readers to juggle a separate identity. maybe I'll change my mind in revisions circa 2022
> 
> end note 2: while working on the rules of magic I realized I'm trying to define RULES OF MAGIC and so there might be spots where, if you take notes and design flowcharts and do studies on this fantasy I'm spinning you might find inconsistencies. I'm giving myself a headache trying to make all the details connect so I'm gonna work on the details later. if we have to retcon minor things later on, so be it. (plz stop taking notes, just go with it) :)
> 
>  **end note 3 (most importantly)** : no that bite is NOT the classic fanfic trope of mating mark! Don't let your mind go in that direction!


	16. The Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome's back again! Sort of. Now it's time to put some things together and then take a much-needed breather, right?

\- _1650_ -

When the light faded, she was dismayed to discover she was still stuck in a ridiculously slow fall backwards over several feet to land gently on her butt. She had enough time to look up and see anyone with inhuman speed turn in her direction as she arrived. ' _Oh, this is embarrassing._ _'_

A cloud of sandy dust shook free from her disheveled outfit with the gentle impact and she coughed, waving away the stubborn swirl of particles. She took a few minutes in her broken time to stare down at her hands, her mind reeling from the events of the last hour.

What the _hell_ had happened?

She'd let down her guard, she'd been taken advantage of— _blasted kitsunes_ _—_ and someone that might have been Seth's father had been hell-bent on seriously harming one or both of them.

Those wounds on Seth's face - had his father truly done that? The elder that she'd met earlier in the day had certainly seemed dangerous enough to have harmed his son, especially after she'd experienced whatever it was he'd done to her spirit just after they'd met. Dangerous. Had he intended to scare her away from his son? Did he not understand that her presence there had been a mistake, and that she'd meant to leave as soon as possible?

She looked past her hands at her disheveled clothes. Panels of fabric were hanging loose, ties had been undone, and she realized the left side of her haori had fallen to her elbow. There was a huge gap in the side of her bodysuit where Seth had undone the fastenings from her ribcage down past her hip. Her face flamed.

She quickly re-fastened most, and recognizing that she was back amongst trusted allies, reached into her pouch and withdrew a seal to swiftly stuff it through the small gap remaining to stick to her abdomen. Time slipped back into its normal flow before she buttoned the last and pulled her shirt back into proper position.

The sounds around her came roaring back with a vengeance, and she winced at the sudden cacophony of noise as those she knew (as well as a dozen strangers milling nearby) exclaimed at her sudden appearance among them, covered in sand and dust.

She sighed heavily. _What a mess_. Koenma peered down at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Welcome back?"

She pushed her mussed hair from her eyes and looked up at the faces staring down at her. "How long-" her voice cracked and she coughed behind a dusty hand. "How long was I gone?"

Koenma shrugged. "It has been some hours. We weren't sure if you'd return."

She sighed again and pressed her hands to her face, muttering expletives under her breath as she tried to calm her nerves.

She needed to have a word with Shippo as soon as she got back. She prayed he would have an idea about how to reign in the weird effects kitsune magic had on her.

Koenma stared down at her with a tilted head. "Did you…" he put a fist to his chin, looking at her in a strange way that made her feel like he wasn't seeing _her._ _"_ Did you _die?_ "

Kagome's mouth fell open. "What the heck is _that_ supposed to mean?"

He spread his hands and indicated her outline with vague motions. "Your spirit is ragged at the edges, as though it was disconnected from your physical body and hasn't had a chance to fully reattach. It wasn't like this before you left."

Her memory skipped back to the agonizing pain of being split in twain. She shuddered. "So that's what that was…" she muttered, rubbing at a phantom ache in her forehead.

"So," he hedged, "You died?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not dead now, right?"

He shook his head.

"I suppose that's what I should focus on," she smiled tightly. How the heck was she supposed to explain what had happened? She didn't understand, only the brief moment of awful pain that she prayed she'd never experience again. It seemed like she kept discovering new things that could _hurt_.

Koenma gave her a serious look as he reached out to help her stand. "If you can, I'd like more information on what happened. Anything you can remember." She frowned before he added, "If something feels wrong or broken, tell me. I can take you to see one of our healers."

She nodded in agreement, but wasn't sure what wrong or _broken_ might feel like anymore.

The sun had begun to edge low along the horizon, and Kagome realized she'd been gone for most of the day. Smoke from cooking fires drifted through the air, and her stomach rumbled unexpectedly at the mouth-watering aromas. She felt like she hadn't eaten in some time and the idea that succulent, roasted delights were so close by was terribly distracting.

The courtyard had begun to fill with families excited for another evening of celebrations and festivities. Kiapo and a few other guards had to clear out a space around them, which wasn't terribly difficult, as most were giving Kagome a wide berth out of caution for any other unexpected magical strangeness that might occur around her.

"I'm terribly sorry to rush you in this, but I must get back to the Reikai as soon as possible. Your unexpected departure has mangled any kind of scheduled I'd planned."

She grimaced in apology and he waved away the words forming on her lips. They knew she hadn't meant to pop out so suddenly, but there was no undoing it, now. She nodded with resolve. "So, we've gathered here to collect together power that will be used to help stop the war."

Koenma held out a small blue bauble. "This is where I set aside my excess energy in case of emergencies, the last of which was just a few decades ago. There is not nearly enough power to accomplish the spell my father will be attempting, so I hope Kagome's suggestion will prove sufficient."

She scoffed. For all he claimed to know about her already, he didn't seem to know a whole lot. "You must not have seen what this thing can do," she muttered. Everyone stared at her and she blushed. "Okay, I haven't actually seen _what_ this thing can do yet, not _really_. Only a little."

"Barrier," Sesshoumaru reminded, stepping close with his hands clasped before him.

She nodded and gestured that the other two step close as well before she hid their actions behind a shimmering pink bubble. She glanced at Koenma. "I don't know how long this might take. You will need to be the one to break the circle once you've gotten enough power for the spell."

He nodded seriously, wiping his hands on the front of his dark pants.

Baikal grinned and happily took her hand, apparently thrilled at a second experience of being connected with whatever madness her magic invoked in him. She focused on herself, ignoring the others as Sesshoumaru and Koenma completed the circle. She would not _reach_ until he was ready to receive the magic. She dreaded experiencing another deep sea drowning adventure while standing on dry land. Kiapo kept his distance outside of the barrier, on strict orders to help evacuate residents in case a flood occurred in the middle of town.

"I'm ready, Kagome-sama," he spoke around the tiny blue item stuck between his lips.

She closed her eyes and _reached_. Hair poofed, the air became damp, the thrill of battle crackled along her skin, and the shuddering sense of _void_ swept through the courtyard.

A shooting pain flashed across the skin of her neck, but she ignored it as a minor nuisance, knowing that the energy of the circle could near-instantly heal any wounds they'd brought with them. Even so, there was little time to grasp the immensity of what she was experiencing before Koenma gasped, nearly sucking his bauble down his throat. He ripped his hands free from the circle and muttered an unfamiliar word.

Baikal's eyes widened in surprise before he slapped the young man on the back. "Such language in front of a lady!" he laughed as Koenma blushed.

"Oh-okay. Uh, that's…" he coughed and wiped his hands on his shirt before plucking the brightly glowing item from his mouth. "That's plenty. Wow. _Fast,_ " he muttered, staring down at the power leaking out in tiny arcs.

Kagome rubbed the back of her hand, wondering at the faint traces of their magic clinging to the edges of her spirit. "Don't get too impressed, that's not just me. It required all of us," she reminded him.

He nodded, still looking pretty astounded as he glanced around at the others. "I'll take this to Father, now. He should be able to get started pretty soon. I'll let you know as soon as I have more information," he promised. One of Baikal's guards seemed to be waiting for him to be ready to go and stepped forward to escort him back to the barrier.

"Can he not make a portal in and out from inside the barrier? It seems like such a waste of time to have to walk outside of the protections," she wondered.

"It is _part_ of our protections, to ensure we do not have any unexpected visitors," Baikal said, grinning heartily. "Although such protections do not seem to apply to _you_ , little priestess. I take it you had an eventful adventure in the time you were missing?"

She sighed. "Something like that." She grabbed the edge of her shirt and shook it, watching as a fresh dusting of sand fell free from the fabric. "I'll need a water refill and…" she shuddered. "I could really go for a shower."

"If I'm to guess what you _truly_ mean by that, you wish to bathe?" he asked, a fatherly smile on his face as he patted her on the head.

She nodded wearily. _Damn_ , she could go for a long bath and a nap. Someplace safe. She glanced at Sesshoumaru, the only person she felt like she could really _trust_ in this strange place. She'd be unbelievably happy to be home once more, where her barriers were solid, her mother made tea, her grandfather had idiotic stories, her brother demanded to take part in her training, and two youkai had begun to intrude into her daily life like they intended to belong there, _permanently._

All that would undoubtedly come later, if and when she figured out how to get home again.

But first, a bath.

"You are bleeding," Sesshoumaru observed, his gaze directed at her neck.

Kagome glanced down and spotted a slowly spreading patch of red just barely visible past her chin. She lifted one hand to touch the tender skin of her neck and came back with bloodied fingertips.

He carefully gripped her chin to peer down at the cuts. "Who did this?"

"A kitsune of some kind, I'm pretty sure. He was injured and I let down my defenses," she admitted. "I thought his father was going to kill one of us just before I escaped."

He narrowed his eyes, staring at the dripping blood. "Bandage this."

She nodded, pressing her hand to her neck.

A patrolling guard approached the small group dragging a bound youkai at his side. "Found this one trying to make a run for it." He tossed the haggard male forward, where he stumbled into their midst and slid to a stop a few feet from Baikal and Kiapo. "Overheard him talking to someone that got away. Sounded _really_ suspicious. Something about _having enough_ and what the signal would be."

Kiapo reached forward and cuffed the bound youkai by the neck, drawing him up so that Baikal could see the male's scowling grimace.

He broke into a hacking laugh, spattering bright blue blood along the pale white stones of the courtyard. Kiapo frowned at Baikal and gave a slow blink.

Baikal tilted his head, staring down at the defiant male.

Kagome was fascinated by the subtle expressions rolling across the otherwise motionless Kiapo. Now the she understood what he could do, she realized he'd come up with some super sneaky ways to communicate his findings to his boss.

Baikal nodded slowly. "I see. I see, young one. You needn't worry about your family, so long as you tell us what this trouble is that your friends are planning. We must keep the peace for all, not just a few."

The blood drained from the captive's face. Another slow blink from Kiapo.

Baikal's lips curled into a terrible smile, exposing those awful rows of sharp teeth. He took a deep breath and licked his lip. "Very well, we can do this the messy way. Bring him."

Sesshoumaru stood back with Kagome and watched as the others walked swiftly toward the great hall. "Where will they take him?" she asked, clutching her sleeve.

Sesshoumaru's placid golden gaze slid to the side and she met his eyes with concern. He blinked and turned away from her, striding toward the same building. "Come. I will show you to a place you can rest and recover. " She knew _just enough_ about Sesshoumaru to read between the lines. He expected answers and probably wouldn't be providing any, himself.

She was a little surprised that he helped her bandage the small cuts while she relayed what she'd seen and experienced in a place so far displaced from anything familiar. He frowned as he prodded the edges of her injury. "These should have sealed without any assistance. There is a peculiar magic clinging to your skin. It is not youki. Can you sense it?"

She closed her eyes and searched for anything out of the ordinary. A subtly twisting violet that _didn_ _'t belong_ ran from her attention, slipping just out of sight as she attempted to focus on it. Concerned, she flared her magic, feeling the strange ripping burn slicing across her throat just like it had before, accompanied by a similar pain sliding down her left hand to tingle at the tips of her fingers.

"The magic persists," he observed, eying the small cuts with concern before smearing a thin layer of medicine over her skin. She peeled the backing from an adhesive bandage and handed it to him. "Given that you were interrupted midway through _this_ particular task and then returned to continue, it stands to reason that your dealings with the people of that time and place are not yet complete. I will confer with others more knowledgeable in obscure foreign histories and magic to see if there is further information that might prove useful." He stood, wiping his bloodied hands on a damp cloth as a girl carried in a steaming tub of water. "I would not be surprised if this trouble that is brewing here is directly related to your duties in this place."

Another girl followed behind the first with a stack of clean clothes, drying cloths, sparkling bottles of soaps and oils, and a small bouquet of flowers. Sesshoumaru eyed the collection of items as he walked out of the room. "I will not be far, miko. You know how to find me."

A short while later, Kagome grimaced at the pile of sand that had accumulated where she'd stripped and cleaned off with a small bucket of water. "I'm so sorry about this mess," she murmured as the younger of the two girls leaned over a small bowl to scrub at the bloodstain on her collar.

The older of the two smiled and waved her toward the tub.

It wasn't a very large tub, but she sank into the hot water with a sigh of bliss and tucked her knees to her chest, intent on soaking up as much of the wet heat as she could in whatever time she'd be left in peace.

"Kagome-sama!" a voice called in panic as thumping footsteps thundered down a long wooden hallway. "Kagome-samaaaa!"

She briefly closed her eyes and took a breath to center herself. _Sure. Of course something has gone wrong_. The story of her life. She stood from the small tub of still-steaming water with a sad sigh and grabbed a drying fabric from a nearby table.

Hisako burst in through the door a moment later, looking harried and out of breath as she leaned over, wheezing out her half-intelligible message. "—nma-sama, spell—" she gasped, "happening, _now_ —" she coughed and wheezed, "no 'ceptions!" she finished, tears in her eyes as she clutched the front of her plain grey yukata.

Kagome's hands stilled, holding the fabric to her front in confusion. "No exceptions?" she asked, sure she hadn't understood.

She looked up at Kagome with tears of frustration in her eyes. "None - there isn't—" she coughed, "There isn't anything we can _do!_ " she wailed. "Koenma—he's been _detained_ —sent me as soon as he found out," she coughed again, trying to cover her mouth to maintain _some_ politeness. "He's doing everything he can from Reikai, but he thinks you'll need to be here to help the communities," she moaned in dismay. "I don't know what else, we are in so much trouble!" she cried.

Kagome's mouth fell open. "When?"

" _Minutes,_ _"_ she whimpered, wringing her hands.

Kagome pulled her towel away and ripped free of the seal, unleashing her funky time break. She'd need every moment that she could scrounge. She left her fancy, carefully-tailored outfit where it was, half of it drying by the fire along the hearth and the rest in a sandy pile on the floor and threw on her stretchy kitsune-patterned flannel pajamas before racing past Hisako, who stood there, stuck in time with a look of broken despair on her face.

All was not lost, _yet_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only one-third of the originally planned chapter. I keep breaking it into smaller pieces 1) because the last chapter was so damned long, 2) because it's less daunting to have smaller chunks to read, and 3) I'm done with revisions up to this point and figured it was a safe place to stop and share :) Next one should be in a day or two!!


	17. Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate times call for desperate measures

**the asset**

minutes earlier:

_Decades of planning_ had nearly been destroyed by such an idiotic slip of tongue within earshot of the wrong person. The only reason they hadn't been discovered entirely was due to the highly prized skill set of their most valuable asset within the community's careful protective barrier.

The fact that _both_ community leaders had been spotted here at the same time seemed too serendipitous of an opportunity. Messages had been passed to leaders, plans had been scrapped and revised, and now with this new spell from Reikai poised to tear the realm in half, there could not be a better time.

Later, there would surely be much laughter around pubs and war camps about Koenma's pathetic begging for the lives of the weak. The asset would likely join in the laugher at that time, but for now, he silently withdrew tight bundles from beneath a loose floorboard and lashed them along the length of linen laying across the floor.

Nudges from the right people had been all they'd needed to sway the Reikai ruler in their favor. The strong would survive. The weak would perish. And if they could not have their wars to conquer the mortals, then no one should be allowed an easy way to escape the judgment of strength.

The asset understood that there were some in charge that were driven more by greed, wishing to obtain some choice bit of land or some priceless treasure guarded in one of the community vaults. There was even one openly desiring revenge against some perceived slight. They were all small details in the grand plan, and the asset's group primarily focused only on the _greater good_.

And their greater good would be realized _very soon_.

The asset carefully stood with his heavy burden, cloaked his presence with a shiver of potent magic, and stepped into the street. Perfect timing. One of Koenma's little attendants ran noisily down the street, so panicked in her rush that she bumped into at least a dozen people along the short stretch of road that could be seen.

He slid into her wake and followed her with silent footsteps, knowing the moment of reckoning drew near.

* * *

**detour**

As Kagome ran down the time-silenced hall, she cast out her senses to locate Baikal and Sesshoumaru. A strange _smudge_ of a presence seemed to block the middle of the walkway. She couldn't see it, but she was certain it was there. Weirded out by the oddity, she slid along the wall to avoid coming into contact with it and continued on her way to the closest of the two she could sense.

She had hoped there would be some way to adjust the spell to split the realms for their sakes, but given her luck so far with things working out easily, she hadn't expected anything to just fall nicely into place.

Baikal was the closest of the two. She traced his energy to a damp basement level of the great hall, surprised that such a dark and bloody place existed in a community that prided itself on balance and peace. She slid into the room past the stationed guards, one of whom spotted her and reached out to stop her from entering without permission. She easily dodged the outstretched hand and latched onto the dragon's arm, pulling him into her time.

"One of Koenma's messengers just found me with news, and the communities are in danger! We must move quickly."

His eyebrows twitched in amusement as he caught a glimpse of her ridiculous clothes before he glanced around at his entourage, near-frozen in the time-slip. She didn't dare look at the prisoner they were questioning as he wiped a smear of bright blue blood from his face.

She tugged his sleeve to regain his attention. "We need to find Sesshoumaru. I have an idea, but I'm not sure it will work, and I bet we'll need at least the three of us to have a chance." He nodded once and scooped her into his arms, lifting her easily to rest against his chest as he flashed quickly from the room.

_Oh, his guards are gonna be pissed that he just disappeared._ She was almost amused at the thought, but the quick motions of the youkai carrying her made her a little dizzy as he flew through the hall and up the flights of stairs. He raced with her outside the building and past a great number of people milling in the courtyard, all frozen in their joy without a clue that their world might come crashing down around them.

The pair traveled quickly down another narrow set of stairs within a strange rock formation that seemed to extend deep underground. He slid to a stop just inside the entrance of a massive room illuminated by brightly glowing glass orbs that dangled from chains hooked into the ceiling.

Her mind reeled at so many odd things jammed into one place. She _wanted_ an hour to poke around at the mysterious items littering the writing surfaces, the odd stacks of scrolls tucked into honeycomb shelving units, the far wall lined with great, carved crystal that seemed to contain some kind of natural spring.

Sesshoumaru stood with a small group of people clothed in grey robes, deep in near-frozen conversation over an open tome. His eyes slid toward their quick approach, and Kagome bet that if _he_ had been one of the guards with Baikal a moment ago, he might have been able to stop her from evading their protections.

"Your guards couldn't stop me," she offhandedly mentioned. "You might need at least one that has a faster reaction time."

Baikal rolled his eyes. "When we start encountering interlopers as fast as you, then I might consider such a thing as necessity."

"You might end up dead before you realize such a thing is needed," she insisted.

His nod was slight, but she'd made her point.

She reached out and grasped Sesshoumaru's sleeve, pulling him into the time slip with them. "Koenma sent Hisako with word. I guess I was the first person she could find. There are to be no exceptions for the communities, and we'll have to find another way to protect them from Enma's spell."

He nodded once. "We should head back to the anchor," he suggested.

The three flashed back to the center of town, where the night's celebrations had been gearing up to start, but were near-frozen against Kagome's broken time. "Hisako said we have minutes before the spell is attempted. I didn't expect things would go smoothly, so I had been considering how we might prevent catastrophe. Shippo was under the impression that _something_ must have worked, otherwise there wouldn't be hidden communities _anywhere_."

She paused and pressed a hand to her torso. "Time is broken for us right now. I don't understand _why,_ it just is, and it only seems to happen when I'm missing my seal. This is new, within the last few days. You might have seen me acting weird when I came back earlier."

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding.

He'd been speaking with the others across the courtyard when she'd flashed back into existence mere feet from where she'd vanished earlier that day. The speed at which she fell backwards seemed out of place, flying across the courtyard with too great of a velocity to have been healthy for a human, yet she'd landed without any discomfort, settling gently against the stone.

Even stranger, her motions afterward were impossibly fast as she waved away swirling dust, adjusted her suspiciously disheveled outfit, and finally tucked a strange piece of paper into her clothes. This last event seemed to be the reason that her movements returned to a normal speed. Sesshoumaru had understood something had changed, but they would have to worry about the _what_ and _how_ at a later time.

"When I _reach_ like this, I can sense and affect magic much farther than possible. If we're in another circle, I can only guess how far our range might extend. I expect, but I'm not certain, that the creation magic within the anchors—"

"Creation magic?" Baikal interrupted.

"I-I'm not certain. It's…" she paused, biting her lip. "It feels very much like we can do nearly anything with such a combination of magic as is contained in this anchor, and I suspect the others as well. I have great hope we have everything we need to hold the communities stable against Enma's spell."

"There is much guessing here, little priestess."

She wanted to scream. "It's all we have! Hopes and dreams and _gods save us._ " A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She leaned back against the anchor behind her, feeling the combination of magics trickling in through her pajama shirt and the back of her skull. She held out her hands to the other two. "Between the three of us, I pray there is enough. I don't know what we're about to do, but many lives depend on us doing _something_."

No idea, no clue, no _plan_ , only react. She didn't like solving any major issue like this, but no sooner than they'd touched their hands together, a great flash of light began tearing across the sky, and she could _feel_ it yanking on her, trying to pull her somewhere she most definitely did _not_ belong.

She screamed and felt something disconnect within her.

With her seal removed, the circle between the three of them was absolute insanity. If she'd still been one with her physical body, she might have felt the panic of drowning, or the rage of battle shuddering through her frame. She knew anything there was to know about these two males: the lengths they'd gone to support their people, the power they suppressed every waking moment in order to remain approachable, but it was so vast! Their unrivaled strength and the magic coursing through them made them so alien, so different from anything she'd ever encountered.

But she ignored it, brushed it away, despite the gravity of their personae pressing down on her from both sides. She might have torn her hair from the roots if she could find her hands to do so, screaming within her spirit at the madness rushing through her veins.

Baikal's water was so cold and deep, flooding her lungs, crushing her spirit even as it coddled and cradled and held life afloat, and Sesshoumaru's protective spirit roared through her, his poison deadly and corrosive, so sugary sweet that it burned the senses before melting through flesh and bone, leaving nothing but a smear of brown on the stones at their feet.

With their magic coursing through and lifting her spirit, she felt like she could crush _any_ that stood in their way, that _dared_ harm what was hers. Their magic was the foundation upon which the barrier had been built, and _it could not be shaken_. Her power swept along the community's protections, slipping through the cracks and reinforcing any weakness against the searing light of The Spell.

She understood that those within this barrier were not the only ones at risk, and she hoped the other two would discover what they should do as she swept her magic outwards in a growing arc, seeking others to help.

The edges of her spirit unfurled like translucent ribbons, fluttering along with the breeze as the ends drifted away from her, reaching deep into the coldest lands to the north, far across the water to the east, through the deserts to the southwest, and the many mountains scattered before and after.

She quickly spotted two small communities, each with less than a dozen homes and a simple anchor. She felt the fingers of her magic dip into the protections surrounding those clusters of homes, cradling gently as she gave up portions of her magic to reinforce the structure.

As her magic slid into place, the existing power shuddered and quaked. It solidified into a seal around the community, trapping the inhabitants within behind an impenetrable wall. She didn't know enough to do anything with intention, but just reaching out to boost those barriers and lock out The Spell's effects seemed to be just enough to do the trick.

But then… she noticed _them_. A trio of travelers, priests still in early stages of training, racing for home as soon as they realized something terrible was happening.

If the spell hit them, she knew they'd be sucked into the other realm, easy pickings for the youkai that found her kind to be as tasty as they were deadly.

Her focus shifted.

She could easily spot those with magic like hers, tiny enclaves scattered amongst other magical creatures and the mortals. Some lived in harmony with all, others lived only for themselves. Priests and priestesses like herself were _just_ magic enough to get caught up in the sweep, sucked away from the humans with which they lived. Without a barrier of protection like that which sheltered the communities, there would be nothing she could do to save them...

_Unless_ _…_

One by one, she found their magic, and _took_. If they had no magic to set them aside when The Spell reached them, they'd be treated like the mortals. They wouldn't be doomed to the Makai, where magic would reign and the immortals would have ultimate domain.

She stripped their energy from them, leaving them drained as she skipped on to the next ones she could find. Magic isn't a finite resource, and those with the correct mindset should be able to recover quickly, _she hoped._

She raced in front of The Spell as it slid across the living realm.

She had so much time ahead of her, yet barely enough time to find them all.

She stretched herself thin, _so thin_ , seeking in every direction, her reach winding like the threads of a spider's web, clinging to a breeze that drifted aimlessly yet with such intent purpose, flying across the globe in impossible distances.

It became automatic after the first few hundred, and she ceased thinking of what she was doing to countless individuals. Take, next, _take, next,_ _ **take**_

The activity became a buzz of white noise in her mind. The warmth suffusing her chest became a dull chill. She might have shivered, but she couldn't feel much anymore.

A very tiny part of her recognized her magic clinging to Shippo's spirit as she sped through Japan. Joy flashed through her at the brief touch. She could sense that he was tucked safely within one of the communities, and his magic actively bolstered the barrier. _The barriers_. Her focus faltered as she remembered.

She was briefly torn. She couldn't split her attention between finding and supporting the barriers against The Spell _and_ saving those of her kind.

There was no time to consider.

She continued her task, racing ahead in search of more like her, stealing their energy to race to the next. Mountains, deserts, rivers, lakes, some even dotted the bottom of the ocean. She swept across the world, her actions completely automatic at this point, the sense of wonder at how much she could see and sense and how far she could go completely lost like dust drifting in the atmosphere.

And like the dying flame of a candle, she eventually fizzled out with nothing more than a tiny curl of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt this was a good stopping point (even with it being kinda cliffy) because the piece right after this is requiring a bit more work. The next chapter will be another day or so, and it might be even shorter than this one! But I'll try to embrace shorter posts if that means I can post more often rather than waiting for weeks before I'm ready with the next huge chunk. Anyways. (end rant)


	18. Inexplicable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things cannot be explained. Not enough time, not enough understanding. The mess, though? That's probably something that _shouldn't_ be explained.

The asset trailed the panicked Reikai messenger, amused that she had to work so hard and yet moved so slowly. Not a day passed that he didn't find some reason to appreciate the far superior strength and speed afforded to him by right of birth.

He slowed as she sped down an empty hallway toward a room where he sensed a few youkai and the visiting priestess that had been mentioned in their reports. _She_ might be able to sense him regardless of his careful protections, so he held back, listening with baited breath as the messenger cried and begged for her help.

He realized something had changed in the brief moments that followed.

a shift in the air

a shiver of something strange

the messenger's gasp of shock

He slid forward with utmost caution and peered around the corner as the messenger confusedly called out a name. A servant girl stood nearby looking equally surprised. He spotted a steaming bath and wet footprints leading from the room that went _right by_ where he'd been standing a few seconds ago.

He backtracked to follow the fading footprints before he eventually picked up subtle traces of her scent trailing through the building. How had she passed by without him seeing her? He froze at the top of a stairwell as Baikal's guards stormed from their basement dungeon some distance below him, several of them spitting in rage about the khan's sudden disappearance. One railed about the visiting priestess having some kind of inexplicable magic that let her slip right by him.

One of the guards teased, "Getting slow in your old age?"

The asset recognized the next voice as belonging to a very high priority target, Kiapo. To be avoided at all cost, that one could read anyone's intentions without a single word being spoken. It would have been a skill worth treasuring if he weren't so damned loyal to that soft-hearted dragon. "This is not the time for jokes! Move! Move!"

_What the hell was going on?_

He turned around and tracked her in a new direction, noticing at this point beyond the stairs that her scent was nearly overwhelmed by the dragon's. They were moving together, and perhaps he carried her for expediency.

He guessed that she'd passed on the bad news and now the two youkai leaders would meet somewhere to discuss the developing trouble. It would be the opening he'd need, and if the spell were to happen in the next few minutes like the messenger had warned, the ensuing chaos would be the perfect opportunity.

He dashed out the front door of the great hall well before the guards could make it into the main room. He had only short moments before they tracked down the khan to resume their duties of protection, and he intended to make it there _first_.

He sprinted silently past the anchor, following the arrow-straight scent as it led in the direction of the archive. Then someone behind him gasped, "Baikal Khan is here!" and he turned with a look of surprise to see both leaders standing by the anchor _he_ _'d just passed_ holding hands with a human in very odd pink clothing.

The night sky split with a sudden flash of blinding light that ripped across the horizon, briefly burning through his vision as he hissed in surprise. _Now._ _ **Now**_ _was the moment!_

The crowds around him cheered in delight at the unexpected light show. They'd gathered to see the rain of fire, and this year's celebrations had apparently been vastly improved.

He ran back toward the anchor, his gaze intent upon the two leaders so absorbed in themselves. Reaching around around his tightly bound linen pouch, he found and flicked a small metal contraption. The scent of something burning flashed quickly through the air.

He was invisible and downwind, so they'd never notice him before-

* * *

A heavy storm over much of Japan had kept most of the inhabitants of Sesshoumaru's community tucked safely indoors, and Shippo had been one of the few braving the elements as he checked on the anchor with impeccable timing.

 _Creation magic_ , she'd called it. _Indeed_. Even without understanding how to use such a thing, it was sufficient to merely seek out his anchor, _his people_ , and settle in with his immovable iron will. On another day, Sesshoumaru knew they'd find the time to better understand this new tool at their disposal.

He felt the burning brush of Kagome's magic as it danced past their home just ahead of the shuddering violence of the Reikai's spell.

Along the great distance spanning between the two communities, he could sense the energy parting, _peeling_ the magic away from the land into a separate existence. The spell had been powered by a combination of magic from each of them, and now it fought against the meshed magic from many more. It slipped around their barrier and pulled, unable to gain a firm hold against their harmony, but the spell _had_ to remove the magic from the land. The communities could not be pulled apart, but they could still be pulled _away_ from the surrounding mundane lands. The barriers held firm and left them separate from the rest… _between_.

Certain that his people would remain safe, he withdrew his focus and opened his eyes, returning his attention to the dragon and the miko. Her heartbeat grew dangerously slow as blood drained from her face, and he tilted his head in concern as he watched her condition rapidly deteriorate.

Breathing deep, he tried to ascertain any further details of what might ail her, and he froze. This broken time not only ruined his ability to hear, but the scents that normally swirled along through the air, even in the absence of breeze, had been incredibly slow to reach his sensitive nose.

He was intimately familiar with the odor now assaulting his senses due to recent battles that had left great swathes of destruction in their wake, thanks in part to highly explosive materials that even the smallest of flames could ignite with terrible force. "Baikal," he said, and the dragon's eyelids slid open with near-drunken slowness. He could tell the moment the scent registered in his counterpart's attention as his pupils dilated and a clear protective layer snapped over his eyes.

Baikal bared his teeth, eyes alight with deep glowing blue. The conjoined power of their circle was immense, but he needed to know from which direction the danger approached before he could defend or deflect. So many people surrounded their circle, with most turning their gaze skyward as the final sparks of magic from the spell burst like little showers of fire against their barrier.

So many faces bright with wonder, lax with trust in the safety of their community, and a deadly menace hidden somewhere amongst them. The two youkai examined the faces in the crowd, their displacement in time an incredible ally against a looming threat. A smudge of darkness suddenly blocked the light of one sparkle in the night sky, and Baikal's attention snapped up to spot a medium-sized bundle sliding slowly through the air toward them, the thin trail of smoke following in its wake indicating how hard it must have been thrown.

It was too large to be a celebratory firework and traveling in the wrong direction to be anything other than what he suspected it to be.

With so much energy still available, it was a simple matter to turn his magic toward the mysterious bound item. A focused stream of ice-cold water sliced through the air where it met the bundle and forced it back from where it had come. He could see no one at first until the water also came in contact with the individual, and he spotted the vague outline of a thin male, his arm still extended mid-throw, fingers stretched wide as though in denial of the package's imminent return.

Kagome was the one that broke the circle as she fell. With her seal removed and no longer clinging to their arms, she floated toward the ground in a dead faint, pale and motionless. With Baikal's attention on the danger, Sesshoumaru slipped his arms beneath the girl to catch her before she reached the ground, pressing his lips together at the odd sound of her heartbeat as her eyes stared sightless above them at the starlit sky.

The burning aura that he could sometimes detect escaping her careful control was nothing but the ghost of a sensation, barely present, but she still lived.

For the moment.

* * *

In the seconds before his death, the asset realized his only mistake. He _had_ approached from downwind, but he'd just run through the courtyard, passing right through the spot where the three had appeared, carrying a package that most likely smelled highly suspicious.

The explosive package hadn't made it far from his hand before a shockingly cold blast of water forced it right back at him far too quickly for him to do much more than gasp.

When the burning fuse met the contents of the linen wrap, even the engulfing water could not quell the fire. It ripped through with such force that water and minuscule pieces of the previously invisible asset misted the majority of the crowd standing in the courtyard.

The days-long celebrations _briefly_ came to a halt as a hundred people stared at each other in surprise and blinked through the pink bits dripping from their faces.

One youth shouted, "That was _lame_!"

A series of nervous laughs rippled through the crowd as the adults closest to the khan turned in his direction for guidance. The khan's guards burst into the area as Baikal waved his hand, indicating they continue with their partying despite the questionable decoration now littering the previously white courtyard.

It would be one heck of a mess to clean up in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I know 'lame' is probably not a word anyone would have used way back then in a different country. I'll consider this paraphrasing for present-day understanding, also because lol.


	19. Lost Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are common ways to get out of a tricky situation like being lost. All those possible solutions go out the window when you're lost _like this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, sections are not missing, so don't go "wait, did I miss something?" if a number skips. :)

**Mundane: Kagome #1**

She found herself in the middle of a dark forest. Quiet. Nothing nearby. No breeze. She glanced overhead and could see no stars thanks to the thick cover of trees. She smiled. It felt like it had been _forever_ since she'd last been stuck in the middle of some unfamiliar forest.

She slid quietly through the underbrush, wondering where she was and how she'd gotten there. Was there another unexpected time jump? Her fingers searched for her pouch before she remembered she'd left it behind in her rush to find the others. _The spell_.

Her gaze flicked upwards again. Had the spell already completed? Had they been successful in saving the communities? She couldn't imagine how awful things might have turned out had it not been for Hisako's advance warning.

She closed her eyes and cast her senses out, seeking any sign of life or magic. _Nothing_. Dead silence. Empty surroundings. She frowned at this absence of life. Heading forward once more, she continued in the same direction, keeping her attentions tuned for any sign of something that might be able to answer her question of how it all turned out.

Nothing.

So much nothing.

She moved quietly through the forest, across plains, then past a river that seemed vaguely familiar. A chunk of waning moon reflected dimly along its surface, silhouetting a small town nestled into one of the river's many curves. As the trees thinned near the river, she could see the vague outline of a small mountain against the starry night sky. She was _certain_ she'd seen this place before. She was back in Japan, less than a day's walk from Inuyasha's forest and the Goshinboku.

She turned in a circle, quietly wondering how she'd ended up so far away from Baikal's community. Where was Sesshoumaru's community? She passed some people wandering quietly along a road in the darkness, but they didn't glance in her direction. They seemed intent on getting home, their faces turned down as they stood on the road, a beast of burden attached to a nearly empty cart behind them.

She blinked in realization that they couldn't see her because she was stuck in broken time. She absently patted her abdomen with a frown, wondering how long she might be stuck like this. With all of her supplies _very_ far away, it might be a while. She decided she should get her bearings at the Goshinboku and figure out how to proceed from there.

Distantly, _strangely_ , she heard the jangle of far away chains. She ignored them. They were not part of her goal, which she moved toward now with a singular purpose. She would find answers at the tree, she _knew_ she would.

The distance flew by much faster than she thought it should, but it was an unimportant detail as the Goshinboku loomed large and imposing in her sight. It flooded her vision with a sense of home and belonging. She could feel it calling to her. She approached it, quietly, _so quietly_ , and placed her hand upon its surface.

_Kagome_ , she heard a familiar voice whisper. She almost cried. She hadn't heard that voice in what felt like forever, and she had been certain she would never hear it again after her curse had been broken. _Come home_ , it said, beckoning her. She stroked her fingers along the tree's rough bark, confusion marring her brow.

She looked back over her shoulder in the direction of the sleeping well. There was no magic there that would be able to bring her home, and she had no friends handy at the moment to circle up a fresh round of power.

The shrine surrounding it was quiet in the darkness of night, and she remembered she'd stolen the magic from the people here to save them from a fate she couldn't comprehend. What would it have been like to be taken from the humans they supported, dropped into a realm more interested in eating them for breakfast than in peaceful cohabitation?

Was that the whole truth, though? The Makai had felt deadly to her kind when she'd visited in her future, but perhaps it hadn't always been that way? Maybe, because she'd interfered and kept magic like hers from joining the magic in the other realm, she'd shifted the balance forever in their favor, and doomed her kind to fade in obscurity?

_Come home_ , the tree repeated, and she felt its tug along her spirit. Chains jangled, this time close enough to make her jump with surprise, and from the corner of her eye she spotted the weird little pall-bearers of death, the spirits that sometimes appeared to take souls on to judgment.

Strange. What were those little monsters doing here?

_Come home_ , the tree urged, and the pulling sensation along her hand became more insistent. She glanced at the tree and realized she could see the bark through her fingertips. Her gaze flicked upwards in surprise.

_What had happened?_

She pressed her hand forward, watching with morbid fascination as her fingertips slipped into the great trunk. She remembered the spirits of Shippo's parents as they'd stepped into the trunk to await whatever came next for their kind.

_Oh kami, is this it? Am I_ _ **dead**_ _?_ She blinked up at the great boughs of the tree, stretched wide across the clearing, its strength holding firm against the centuries. "Am I dead?" she whispered, this time out loud.

Chains jangled very close behind her.

_Come home_ , the tree repeated one final time. She sighed and relaxed, sending a silent prayer to those who might be listening that this wasn't the end of her story.

She slipped forward, her consciousness dipping into the tree as she vanished from sight.

* * *

**Reikai**

"Koenma-sama," a whispering voice interrupted his pacing. His father may have ruined _so much_ with his idiotic pandering, caving to the demands of a few greedy youkai that wanted control of a few tidbits that mattered little to the thousands they may have doomed.

The bastards that had exploited his moment of distraction to _detain_ him had been dealt with, but he wasn't sure if he'd acted in time. He was sorely tempted to return those fools to life so that he could have the pleasure of ripping their souls from their still-twitching corpses one more time, or perhaps he should hand them off to be dismembered and eaten by someone who found joy in such awful things.

"Koenma-sama," the tiny voice exclaimed, louder this time with the fluttering buzz of gossamer wings.

"What?" he snapped, twisting to glare at the creature that dared to intrude on him at this moment.

"Koenma-sama, we have Kagome-sama."

His pacing stopped and he turned a frosty stare upon the little woodland creature standing before him with perfect ease.

" _What?"_ he demanded, feeling the strong urge to pick up the tiny thing and crush those spindly limbs between his fingers. Not enough time had passed. She should still be at or near Baikal's community, unless the absolute worst had happened in an impossibly short amount of time.

Surely they hadn't _dared_ …

It flew _dangerously close,_ well within reach should he choose to squeeze answers out of it. "Kagome-sama is waiting at the Goshinboku," it said in an urgent voice. "She is very lost and needs help."

He blinked in confusion. If she was waiting somewhere and he'd been asked to help, how could she be lost?

* * *

**Time**

Baikal led the way as they rushed the unconscious girl to the healer. Her near-silent heartbeat was not much more than strange, flickering pulses that seemed a bit too fast for a human, even a very sick one. A small contingent of Baikal's guards followed closely behind, watching for further attacks after the thwarted attempt at the anchor. Sesshoumaru stared in concern as her hair floated strangely behind her, suddenly realizing she was still disconnected from time. He called out to a passing servant and instructed him to fetch Kagome's supplies from the room where she'd been earlier that evening.

The healer indicated she be set upon a cot in the dim room, and as soon as Sesshoumaru had settled her in place, the servant returned with an armful of items. He snatched up her pouch and fished through the spacious (and disgustingly sandy) interior for one of the papers he'd seen her handling.

The healer complained as he lifted the bottom edge of her pajama shirt, where he'd seen her apply the last one upon her return through time. There was no seal present on her pale abdomen, as he'd expected. He gently pressed the small slip of paper to her skin and watched as an arc of light flash under his claws before the seal magically stuck to her. The tiny handwritten script flared with a shimmer of blue light and they could hear her heartbeat settle into more natural-sounding thumps, although now that her time was back to normal, they could tell it was at a dangerously slow pace.

"What has happened?" the healer demanded, staring down into the girl's blank blue eyes. Fingers pressed, magic probed, and an assistant was sent to find Hisako, the only other individual currently in the community with a trace of energy like Kagome's.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Many things outside of our understanding have occurred this night."

Hisako burst into the room a moment later. "Kami, what's happened to her?" she exclaimed. Her miko powers were only a tiny fraction of what had been present during her life, but she had enough to tell that Kagome's spirit wasn't quite there. "We have to contact Koenma, right away!"

* * *

**Makai: Kagome #4**

Magic.

Ripping, tearing, overwhelming magic.

Koenma hadn't been kidding when he'd said the spell would split the magic from the mundane. She recognized the coloring of the sky to be similar to what she'd seen in Makai in her future, with the red sky overhead and the tingle of energy lacing everything from the rocks beneath her shoes to the leaves in the trees above, but this magic felt raw and almost natural, pleasant against her spirit like she might actually belong someplace like this.

She wondered if her meddling to prevent magic like hers from joining this realm may have been why it was so unwelcoming and deadly in her future.

The land still seemed vaguely familiar, like it hadn't had the chance to shift and change under the influence of so much unfettered power. She slid across the grasses, staring up at the strange hue that colored the sky, glad that she could still see the stars despite the blood-red brightness overhead.

At first, her time was broken, the air windless, the land silent, everything deathly still. Seeing such a place in this state made her memories of its dangers seem marginally less scary, but she had enough small experiences with supernatural creatures to know that even her broken time couldn't make everything _safe_.

She traveled for a while in no particular direction, wondering how she'd gotten here, wondering if she'd failed. Maybe her efforts to save the others had left her vulnerable to be sucked into the other realm, and her allies would have to find her once they noticed she'd vanished.

Then, surprisingly, time corrected itself. Wind whipped up, sending dry leaves in a whirl across an open field to her right. She paused, listening to a subtle, unfamiliar trilling near her feet, perhaps some kind of nocturnal insect that had been brought along to the magical realm.

An echo of a melody caught her attention from somewhere nearby. She turned and paid attention until the echoes cleared and she realized it was someone's (or something's) voice. She slid in that direction, wondering what could be making such an interesting and _haunting_ sound.

Bright white serpents floated through the air some distance away, turning in circles and figure eights and curling amidst themselves, tiny clawed legs reaching and grasping at the empty air. She'd seen these before, a long time ago, in what felt like a forgotten nightmare.

She moved away from them, slipping back into the shelter of the trees to watch from a distance. A small girl burst from the woods nearby, her shrieks of laughter echoing oddly through the clearing. Kagome belatedly noticed great feathered wings folded along her back as a boy with similar appendages chased close behind. They were young youkai children, at ease and playing in the middle of the night as they tackled one another and giggled loudly.

An adult followed, chastising them that they should remain vigilant and cautious after whatever had happened. His eyes warily skimmed the strangely colored sky. "Come, children, quickly. We should return home." The adult's gaze slid past where Kagome hid amongst the trees, missing her presence but landing squarely on the soul collectors.

He hissed in warning and the children froze at the sound. "Come, quickly! There is death nearby," he urged, ushering the children back toward safety, wherever that might be. The soul collectors ignored the fleeing youkai as they turned in her direction.

Kagome felt a deep chill settling through her, and she backed away slowly as the great pale serpents slid closer, their beady eyes winking in the dim starlight. Unsure what had unnerved her, she turned and raced through the unfamiliar forest, not really sure where she was but feeling like _this direction_ must be toward some measure of safety.

Her passage through the forest was quick and silent, with trees flashing past as she nearly flew across war-scarred plains. She skirted the edge of the next field dotted with a dozen campfires, barely noticing the armored soldiers that sat quietly in circles or laughed amongst themselves, celebrating their victories or drowning their losses with great mugs of ale, their weapons nearby as they awaited the next fight.

Only one glanced in her direction, but he did not follow as she fled.

Distance seemed to have lost all meaning and she was surprised that she hadn't yet tired. She glanced down as she raced forward, realizing she had yet to trip or run into any errant branches. Her feet weren't even touching the dirt.

This seemed _wrong_ , somehow, but she couldn't quite place what was amiss.

Suddenly, she found herself in a clearing she knew. The Goshinboku.

* * *

**Laughing Dragon: Kagome #9**

She wasn't sure where she was. Everything was completely unfamiliar.

The trees scattered around the field where she stood were an odd variety of deciduous with flimsy trunks, their branches bright with pink and purple bursts of color. The tall pines poking through the tops of the forest surrounding her field looked like strangely skinny spikes.

The late afternoon sky was an odd shade of lavender, scattered with a few clouds that were little more than silver wisps.

This seemed neither like the human realm she was familiar with, nor did it feel or look very much like her fuzzy memories of the Makai. It hadn't been that long ago, had it?

The area was deathly still and quiet, and she stood there for an unknown amount of time, feeling a little dazed as her mind raced through possibilities.

_Time_.

Time suddenly picked up once again, startling her with an unexpected outburst of sound as a flock of magenta birds screamed from the canopy of trees to her left.

She stared as the entire forest seemed to shudder. The spiked tops of trees in the distance swayed back and forth to the accompanying sound of splitting cracks and thumping crashes. When the trees began to wave closer and closer, she got the strong impression that something big was moving in her direction.

She inched sideways and tucked herself against one of the flimsy purple trees, using it as a hint of cover in case _that something_ was looking for ladies lost in unfamiliar places.

A shimmer of golden orange caught her attention some thirty feet off the ground.

_Okay_ , another dragon. She'd just met a dragon a few days ago, he turned out to be pretty cool. A massive clawed foot crushed the bushes before it as it leaned out from between the trees, a curl of smoke twisting from nostrils larger than her head.

It shook like a wet dog, splaying wide its spikes and scales as the ruffling motion twisted back and forth down its long body still hidden deep in the trees. It took another step from the woods, its gaze sweeping in both directions. It had great green leathery wings folded back against dull, rocky-looking scales. Spikes adorned its humongous face and trailed its spine.

_Definitely not the_ _ **riding**_ _kind of dragon_ _…_ she thought.

Its lips curled away from teeth that seemed at least as long as she was before it opened its mouth and belched a burst of smoky fire. She flinched back in surprise and its gaze locked on her.

It was a legit _fire-breathing_ dragon, straight out of some horrific English fairytale book, and now it was chasing her.

_Where am I?_

Mentally screaming expletives that would probably make Inuyasha proud, she flashed past the torn remnants of a burning castle with the dragon hot on her heels. Other magical creatures carried buckets of water or flung handfuls of magic at the fire, working quickly to douse the great flames with shouts that sounded suspiciously like French. The dragon _laughed_ and turned toward their efforts, crashing into the stone structure with a roar and a great whipping tail.

A crowd of angry shouts at the dragon's appearance followed her into the forest as she fled, still confused as to where she'd ended up. Her memories were fuzzy. Wasn't she just at Baikal's community anchor a little while ago? There had been some effort to help prevent… something.

What was that _something_?

How the heck had she ended up so far away?

She felt like she was running in the wrong direction. She slowed, a hand to her chest as she turned around in a circle to stare at the surrounding woods, and then paused as she faced east. _This way._

She wasn't sure what was that way, but she'd give it a try. Perhaps an ally or safety, or at least some answers.

She ran.

* * *

**The Hunt: Kagome #34**

The thinnest sliver of sun was visible along the horizon. _Morning?_

She was in the middle of a vast grassy plain. A herd of humongous furred animals were dozing some distance away. A few were grazing and paused, their great heads lifting to look in her direction. She stilled, holding her breath. Whatever those animals were, if they were startled and ran in her direction, she'd be squashed _for sure._

A quiet voice in an unfamiliar language sounded from somewhere behind her, barely a whisper that slid into her awareness. She turned slowly, peeking over her shoulder at the group of people crouched nearby. All five of them were painted in strange patterns that helped them blend with the grasses where they hid from the animals they stalked, armed with bows and spears. She slowly dropped into a crouch as well, hoping she hadn't ruined their hunt with her sudden appearance.

One fluttered fingertips at her, liquid and waving, with a phrase that sounded like a question. He tilted his head as though he spoke to the others with him and not at her, and she saw that another glanced in her direction, his attention sliding past her as though he couldn't see her there. One standing beside him met her eyes and nodded with a quiet hum of agreement.

A breeze rippled through the grasses surrounding them and Kagome realized she couldn't feel it, nor smell the damp earth as it sparkled with morning dew. She couldn't even feel her toes or her fingertips. She glanced at herself and was startled to discover she was see-through. She froze in shock, trying to remember what she'd been doing before finding herself in such a strange place, and _probably dead._

The one that had noticed her said something else to his friend, who nodded and waved him off. He beckoned to her with a crook of his fingers as he quietly backed away from the others.

Unsure what else she should do upon discovering she wasn't really _there_ , she followed him cautiously. She slid across the grass, her limbs moving as though she walked, but soundless as she passed _through_ the grass instead of stepping on it.

_Cool_ but bad.

_Because she_ _'s dead._

She grimaced, stuffing her see-through hands into her ghost-pajama-pockets.

The person she followed eventually rose into a half crouch to slip quietly through the shrubs and grasses, leading her away from the small hunting party while staying downwind from the great animals grazing nearby. She followed easily, even as he broke into a loping run, slipping silently over boulders and dried river beds. A tiny flicker of flame became visible in the distance as she flew behind him. He glanced back every so often to see if she remained, a grin of excitement lighting his features as the sun lit the horizon.

He was met by someone standing watch at the edge of the small village, then the two of them raced quietly toward a large thatched hut erected in the middle of other homes that looked like the animal-skin tents of a nomadic community. They passed several others that were up early and preparing for their day with curious glances as to what they were up to, but none looked at Kagome as she followed quietly behind them.

The grizzled old woman that met them at the entrance patted both of their shoulders in quiet delight, then firmly shoved them aside as the one that had led her here tried to explain. She reached out with trembling fingers toward Kagome's face, stopping just short of touching her before she clasped her hands in front of her mouth with a quiet murmur.

She glanced down, nodding to herself before she turned to the first and muttered what sounded like instructions. His gaze flashed to Kagome with a look of interest before he loped away behind the large hut. The other one was sent away, Kagome guessed to resume his guard duties.

The first returned with a small drum and the two sat beside a circle of rocks that held the cold and dark remnants of the previous night's fire.

The elder tapped her fingers against the drum's surface and dropped into a quiet song. Kagome sat across from the two and watched, mostly because she didn't know what else to do. No idea where she was, no tingle of magic telling her that she might want to go _this way_ or _that_.

The young male watched, nodding along to the words she couldn't recognize, his voice quiet as he picked up the phrases and tried singing as well. Her lips twitched in a smile, realizing it was a lesson.

The song repeated a few more times before Kagome noticed someone new had sat down next to her. She turned to peek at the newcomer. He was a bit see-through as well and looked down at her with kind eyes. "You are lost," he said. It was not a question.

Kagome nodded.

He glanced across at the old woman that had summoned him. "She did the right thing to ask for help. You are not yet ready to journey on to the spirit realm, and you are very far from home. We know what you were trying to do, but be at peace." He stood and nodded to the old woman, who returned the gesture and continued to sing, tapping her drum as he beckoned Kagome to follow.

"You didn't need to come this far to save so many people. The magic here is still quite balanced, and the spell affecting your continent did not cross the oceans. Perhaps that will come to pass on another day."

She felt a little disappointed that whatever she'd done had been a pointless effort, a _waste,_ ending with her stuck in this strange state.

The spirit guiding her away from the village laughed, as though he knew which direction her thoughts were heading. He shook his head, glancing at her. "Don't be stupid," he muttered. "You did your best, sacrificed yourself to save countless others. If your spirit _ever_ had negative karma, you've done enough good deeds to wipe that slate clean. But, now it's time for you to go home. In time, death will come for you, and on that day we'll be able to lament the brevity of life and all the things we miss." He cast one last glance over his shoulder at the old woman, still singing her sad tune in the distance.

He led her across the plains, his pace picking up as they effortlessly glided across the grass toward great rocky protrusions erupting from the earth. They came to a stop before the widest of these wind-swept boulders. There were a number of strange impressions in the stone, as though over the ages, thousands and thousands of hands had brushed the surface in the same spot, slowly carving out the grooves where a human hand should rest. She slipped her fingers into those channels in the stone, staring in wonder at the evidence of such a long-lived people.

"This place is special. Magic clings to these rocks, left over time by the others that have come before us. In this state, if you think of where you need to be, the magic will be able to take you there."

She turned to look back over her shoulder, a thank-you on her lips, but he had vanished as quietly as he'd appeared.

* * *

**The Tree**

Koenma forced his way out of Reikai, livid that their efforts to avoid complete catastrophe from the spell had resulted in nearly killing the girl that had been so instrumental in its success.

Her body with its tiny remaining portion of spirit had been left under heavy guard in Baikal's care as Sesshoumaru and Koenma made their way to the Goshinboku in the human realm.

Nearly an entire day had passed since The Spell. The humans hadn't quite figured out what had happened. There was some speculation that the magical creatures had gone into hiding, and only a few realized that they'd vanished entirely.

Both Sesshoumaru and Koenma were surprised to discover that the priests tending the shrine were still present. Koenma had been certain that _all_ magical creatures, even the ones _here_ should have been affected by the spell. Only those within the barriers at the communities were assumed to have been spared.

The priests at the shrine, like others that would be discovered later on, had woken up early that morning feeling drained, but otherwise whole and still quite capable of their regular duties.

After hearing that the spirit of their storied priestess might be lost, the elder priest hurried with the two visitors to the great tree and confirmed the presence of her magic within. "She's here."

More than one set of shoulders sagged in relief.

Koenma jumped in surprise as Kagome #34 appeared before them, standing amidst the roots of the tree, her gaze turned upward to stare at the branches overhead. "Oh I'll be damned, that _actually_ worked," she muttered.

"Kagome?" he called, taking a step in her direction. She whirled with a hand to her heart, looking just as surprised to find the three standing right behind her.

He was appalled as he looked her over. "Oh _kami_ , where's the _rest_ of you?"

"What do you mean? I'm here," she waved at herself. "Probably dead or something, but I'm here." She grimaced and shrugged before adding on, "if you mean _my body_ , I don't know."

He shook his head. "You're not dead. You're just _not whole_." He turned his attention to the tree where he'd been informed she was waiting. "Looks like some of the rest of you is in there."

She frowned at him. "In… there?" She turned to look at the tree. " _In_ the Goshinboku?"

He nodded. "And I've been _told_ you've got a portion still hanging out in your body back at Baikal's community."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Only _some_ of the rest of me is in there? Any guess how much is still missing?"

He shook his head, reaching past her _into_ the great trunk to fish around. "Some texts I have read indicate that the soul can be split in different ways due to religious beliefs or the activity that resulted in the breakage. Common numbers are two, three, seven, and eight. We have accounted for at least three, so I suppose how many you might have left to find will depend on how many we have in a moment."

He tugged her sleeping spirit out into the open, and Kagome gawked at seeing her disheveled partial state floating lax in his grip. Her pajamas were an absolute mess, and if she still had the capacity to blush she'd be several shades of pink from embarrassment. _Is this what I look like right now?_ She didn't often fixate on her own appearance, but this was _awful_.

Koenma laughed lightly. "So full of surprises. For you," he said with a wink, holding forth a dozing ghost-Kagome.

When her fingers came in contact with the translucent shimmer, it vanished with a brief flash, and Kagome's mind felt suddenly full with over a dozen new experiences. She looked away for a moment, shuddering against the swell of odd memories.

She blinked and somehow managed to speak. "Fourteen."

"Excuse me?"

"Fourteen pieces were in the tree." She shook her head in disbelief. "I lucked into finding my way back here the ways that I did. Is there some way you can help me find any of the other missing pieces?"

"There are some things we can try. Let's get this part reunited with your body, first." He paused, looking down at his empty hands in consideration. "Forty-two," he murmured.

"Excuse me?" she parroted his earlier response.

"If there are so many pieces already, the only answer to how many we'll need to find is likely forty-two."

She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure if he was joking. "That's a really big number. Are you teasing me?"

He didn't _seem_ very amused with his deep frown and furrowed brow. "We don't have any precedent for this. We'll just have to send reapers out to look for your pieces, put out a notice to the other realms to be on watch, and see how many we can find."

"The tree called me home," she murmured, looking up at its branches again.

"I'll station someone here to wait for any more that show up."

She paused and looked at Sesshoumaru. "Did we succeed?"

He nodded solemnly.

Turning her attention in the direction the priest had gone, she clutched the front of her ghost-pajamas with a translucent hand. "They're ok. I'm glad."

"I'd like to know more about what you did…" Koenma said, leading the two of them away.

The trip back to Baikal's community was a simple step through a summoned portal. They stepped out in the middle of a conspicuously empty road, where a set of four human guards from the community kept watch while a small group of carpenters worked on a new wooden building. Kagome could only barely sense the barrier wall that had recently shone so brightly against her senses.

"The entrance to the community is here," Sesshoumaru indicated just off the road with a wave of his clawed hand.

They stepped through together and made their way along streets that weren't visible a moment before. The experience of finding herself somewhere completely different from one minute to the next was becoming strangely commonplace to Kagome, and she wasn't sure if this _new normal_ was okay or not.

_Therapy_. She was probably going to need a ton of therapy to make sense of the strangeness of her life.

If she was embarrassed by the appearance of her bedraggled spirit, she was absolutely horrified by the state of her physical body. Not only did she look just as messy, but she was deathly pale with dark circles beneath her blank eyes. She shuddered at the sightless stare and dry, parted lips. _I look dead._

She turned to Koenma with dozens of questions swirling in her thoughts, but he shook his head and offered his hand to help.

She sank gladly into the warmth of life once more, and when she next opened her eyes, she saw the room's occupants staring down at her expectantly. She smiled a wobbly smile, glad to feel anything again. She felt solid. A little broken, still, but _alive_.

A short while later, Kagome finally sat up with some assistance. "I'm _starving._ Can someone please bring me anything edible? And no alcohol, _please_ ," she eyed Baikal in warning.

He laughed as a messenger knocked at the open door.

"Baikal Khan! A small crowd of refugee halflings are at the gate. They claim they've been separated from their family and have no idea what happened."

Baikal nodded. "Yes, that would make sense. We will need to send out patrols to find those that have been lost and separated, to let them know where sanctuary can be found."

"I should return to my people and do the same." Sesshoumaru stood and placed a warm hand on Kagome's forehead. "You are sometimes insufferable, but we will never forget what you have made possible."

"I'll work on my manners in the meantime," she promised with a grin. "Maybe the next time we meet, I'll be a little less irritating."

He quirked an eyebrow. "No doubt I will need to hone my tolerance, instead."

Koenma and Hisako stayed to keep her company as the healer tutted over her weak condition.

A few reapers Kagome hadn't met before escorted her pieces back to her body as they were found, and they trickled in over the next handful of hours, bringing odd snips of memory: strange meetings with magical creatures, horrors she'd never wish to relive, wonders she'd never expected to find. She'd narrowly evaded being eaten _twice_.

She wondered if any pieces actually _were_ eaten, to somehow be lost forever.

When the last section joined with the whole (and brought with it a tear-jerking vision of _heaven_ ), Koenma assured her that she'd survived her ordeal and was complete once again, with no more missing pieces and none eaten or otherwise destroyed. "If you can manage to keep yourself together for the next few days, the edges of your spirit might reattach correctly and be a little more resistant to splitting."

The healer proclaimed that she was healthy enough to leave their care and threw great arms around her, hugging tight with a tearful thank-you. Many families had been spared the trauma of the spell, and many more lives had doubtless been saved by ending the war between the magic and non-magic folk.

"Saving lives may be our calling, but I'll be glad to see a few less injuries and deaths because of that idiotic fighting."

"There will always be wars, but I'm glad I could help with this one," she murmured. There would be so many more wars in the future. So many lives would be lost.

A muffled metallic chime rang out from somewhere across the room. Everyone watched as she dashed across the wooden floor to the yellow pouch on a pile of her belongings. Careful to not accidentally bump its display and unintentionally fall through time again, she pulled the vesper out and glanced at the words scrolling slowly across the screen. "I have a new place to go."

"There's much we need to resolve in Reikai, too. It'll take some time to set things right again."

Kagome ducked behind a changing screen to don her recently cleaned bodysuit and priestess outfit. Satisfied that everything was in its right place, she stuffed her kitsune-print pajamas back in her pouch with a grimace. She couldn't believe everyone had _seen_ that. Shippo was going to die laughing.

Hisako bowed deep as Kagome emerged from behind the screen. "Kagome-sama, I was so glad we could meet! I hope we have more time to talk in the future."

She smiled and returned the bow. "I'm glad you could get word to us so quickly. I'm not sure how well things would have gone without what you did."

She blushed but smiled as she backed out of the room with a brief wave to give Koenma a moment to say his goodbye.

"Look, Kagome, I don't know where you're going next, but…" he paused, turning red again. She sighed in exasperation, wondering if he'd ever get over the randomly weird behavior around her. "I'm _really_ sorry about what happened. Uh," he paused, turning his gaze to the ceiling as if trying to look for the right words. "Last time. The last time we met. Or the first time. Whenever. Sorry."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. What the _heck_ had he done that warranted any kind of apology, let alone one like this?

"I promise that the next times we meet in my future, I'm _much_ better behaved."

Her eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs. "And you're not going to tell me anything other than that, huh?"

He shook his head, absolutely scarlet now. "I cannot say." He cleared his throat and glanced away to collect his thoughts. "Thank you for what you've helped us accomplish here. Our capacity is still at max, but we'll have time to sort everyone out now that the war has been halted."

She opened her mouth to remind him that they hadn't ended all wars, just the one, but he beat her to it.

"I know they'll find new reasons to fight. They always do. But you've bought us some valuable time, and this split was a long time coming." He belatedly remembered her missing glove and pressed it into her palm before he bowed over her hand clasped between both of his. "We will never be able to thank you enough."

She laughed. "I'm sure you guys will figure out more than enough ways to say thank you. Try not to go too overboard."

He nodded and stepped back as she adjusted the arrows in her quiver and slung her bow over her shoulder. Glancing down at the date of her next task, she quirked an eyebrow. "1526?"

(She missed Koenma's nervous swallow.)

His face was carefully blank as she glanced up one final time to say goodbye. "It's been quite an adventure. See you next time!" She smiled and tapped the screen, vanishing in a flash of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like a side-fic of all the spirit-Kagome-adventures might be a thing later on.


	20. Call Me Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You only have one chance to make a good first impression.

\- _1526_ \- 

She could hear the rumbling of crashing water and feel the chill spray on her skin before her feet touched the smooth surface of stone. As the light cleared from her vision, she was delighted to see she stood upon a wide limestone boulder next to a picturesque waterfall. She clasped her hands before her chin and smiled. "Oh, this is such a nice change."

She'd seen a bit too much in the last few days to be surprised by much anymore, so the unexpected voice calling out from behind her did _not_ make her jump.

"Well, it's good to see you again!"

She turned and spotted Tek standing behind her looking quite a bit older. "You look… different."

He burst into bright laughter, covering his wide smile with a wrinkled hand. "Don't you know it!"

She paused and stepped closer with a smile, a little confused why they were meeting again. She'd just seen him… a few weeks ago? At most? "Wait a second…" she looked down at her device and did some quick mental math. "Oh, _oh!_ Where are we? Why are you still here?"

"We, my dear ally, are finally at the crossroads. And we don't have a whole lot of time." He laughed at some hidden thought before adding on, "Although, you probably have more time than the rest of us!"

She wasn't sure if he meant he knew more about her weird time breakage, or if he merely referred to her ability to hop between times. _Perhaps_ , she thought, _it would be better to keep some details hidden instead of blurting out everything that seemed to be wrong, lately._ "Is today the day you finally get to go home?"

He nodded with a grin. "My wait has come to an end. Staying here until I could deliver my message used up more energy than I'd have liked, so I need your help one last time."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Why didn't you go home first, get everything all patched up, then come back to complete your mission?"

He shrugged. "I thought about it, but every time the idea came up, something would happen and I ended up staying. There was a reason for it, I'm sure, but I might never know. The important fact is that _today_ is my last day, and I will treasure every moment in the regeneration chambers upon my return." He shuddered with a faraway look in his eyes.

She wondered what in the world he might be talking about, but it must be something nice. She held out her hand to him with an amused smile, glad that her task this time seemed to be the simplest of them all, yet.

He skipped to her side and she bit her lip to hold back her snicker at his youthful exuberance. Despite his supposed age, he was in remarkably fine shape. He'd claimed to have been waiting to go home for the last fifty years, and if he'd truly helped design his time-travel device prototype, then that made him at _least_ seventy. (He certainly didn't look that old.)

She glanced down at her own device, chewing the inside of her lip in thought. If his device was a prototype, how did hers already exist? His leathery arm met her fingertips and she glanced up to see him smiling widely with palpable excitement.

The power swelled as she asked, "If yours is a prototype, what is mine?"

His eyes crinkled, and a series of images flashed across her mind like a flipbook in fast-forward, colors in rapid fire too quick to comprehend. "Mine _is_ the prototype. The first device of its kind; the power contained within the mechanics, electronics, and code. _Yours_ is merely a bridge. Without _you_ , it is just a comms."

She blinked in confusion, her mind whirling around the mess of content he'd somehow just thrown at her brain.

His eye flashed green just before he released her arm with a shiver that quickly turned into a giggle as he did a little dance in place, his tiny metal ornaments jingling with merry tinkles.

Kagome couldn't imagine being stuck in the past for decades before she could return home for some of her modern conveniences. Her gaze dropped to the shiny silver surface of her _vesper_ that somehow facilitated her time-traveling adventures. "So much has happened since we last met. I have other questions before you go, if there is time."

"Of course, of course! I say there is not much time, but really, that's only because a few youkai will be barreling into this clearing in about thirty minutes. I'm sure you have a solution should time grow short."

She peered over her shoulder in suspicion, wondering if their lives might be in danger. "Okay, first off, what do you know about that?"

He wrinkled his nose and grinned widely. "The youkai? Well, I left them unattended in my home with only the temptation of sweet cakes and little treasures to keep them entertained. I imagine they'll grow bored of such things shortly."

She barely refrained from pinching the bridge of her nose. "I meant _time_. What do you know about it?"

"Ah!" He nodded sagely. "Time is circular. I mean, the world could be on fire and you could literally stand around and do absolutely nothing, and things will still turn out how they're meant to. Why? Because eventually you won't be able to stand around. You'll want to help or stop something or interfere because that's who you are, and that is how the future happens. Even if I knew some person in history did the most atrocious things, I would not ultimately be able to stop those atrocities from happening. Maybe my attempt to interfere is thwarted by a bodyguard with unbelievable luck. Maybe I encounter a freak accident and kill myself by mistake. Maybe my attempts to interfere is what initially set the event in motion, and history is none the wiser."

This was _not_ what she'd wanted to know. Maybe she should have worded her question better, but now she had different concerns. "Why would you even want to travel back in time, then, if nothing you do matters?"

Tek laughed. "What does anything we do matter? It might. It might not. Maybe I was meant to travel to this time. Well, I must say now after meeting you, I was definitely meant to travel back in time. But originally, we knew that we would be observing only, because to live history is a far greater experience than hearing stories or reading archives or watching vids. The level of detail is unparalleled, and all the data I have collected will be used to enhance the educational material for others who cannot have the same experiences as I have."

She closed her eyes in growing irritation. _All this trouble because they wanted to see history in person? The people of the future must be terribly bored with their technological advances._ "Alright, fine. What do you know about _my_ time?" He smirked, and she got the feeling she might be getting another information runaround without being told what she really wanted to know. She clarified before he could get started. "My time is broken. Do you know why?"

"Time cannot break! It is merely being experienced _differently_." Her mouth fell open to ask for more details, but he spoke over her. "Before we part ways, I have a piece of advice. Much of what you and I know is theory and speculation until we have had enough experiences to validate our expectations. The power you have access to may sometimes make you feel pretty invulnerable, but the thing about time is that if you fuck up enough," he paused to _actually_ poke her in the nose with a finger, "and manage to get yourself killed before history says your time is up or you step out of line from what you were meant to be doing, the books will find a way to balance the difference. Maybe your role is meant to be around forever, but there's no guarantee that the job is permanently yours. Time fixes our mistakes in whatever way works." He gave her a fierce look as his right eye glowed brightly. "Do not squander your gift."

His odd clothing fluffed as his skin brightened with a suffusion of light and she realized he was about to leave her. She remembered one last thing to ask in the nick of time. "Wait! Why is there a 24 hour timer between each jump?" She held out her little device and pointed at the counter. If youkai were about to drop in unexpectedly, she wanted to know how she could get the heck out of there as soon as possible.

Still glowing with power as his clothes fluttered in an ethereal breeze, he replied, "Oh! That's a default setting to avoid overheating. You can override it by tapping on your destination several times. But you should be careful to not do that very often, because those old things have been known to burst into flame, and then you'd be stuck."

"Is there a way to… check that? To make sure I haven't reached its limit?"

He sighed in exasperation and released the energy, his glow falling away as he perched his fists on his hips with a _look_. "It's in the settings, of course."

She puffed out her cheeks in frustration. She had no idea how to get into the settings or do anything other than tap on the blasted screen whenever something came up on its own. "How the heck can I make it take me home?"

He quirked his eyebrow. "My advice? Call Corporate. They might not have all the answers right now, but they will eventually. Your place is kind of fluid in the timeline."

"Ok, but how do I _do_ that? Call anyone, I mean."

He held up a finger and did some searching in his files. A tiny flash of green sparked across his eye. "Ok, with your model you just hold it glass-side up and tell it to call the person in question."

She cocked an eyebrow in slight disbelief, but held the device as instructed and thought about the only name that might be in the contact list. "Call… Koenma?" She gasped in surprise when the device started trilling, and Tek gave her a small salute.

"I'll see you later! It's on the calendar," he joked, finally vanishing in a flash of light.

Her mouth fell open. _That_ _'s it?_ Maybe she should have been recording all the junk he'd just spouted at her. Even with all the confusion and misdirection, though… She smiled, shaking her head at the thought of the weird future ahead of them both. She was glad he'd finally headed home. Over fifty years being stuck here must have been difficult, to say the least. She felt like he must have had another week's worth of stories and information to tell her, but _time grew short_.

Koenma released a hefty sigh, chewing on the end of his little blue bauble as he leaned back into the steaming water of the far-too-small tub. He'd considered taking his smaller form for this bath to make better use of the limited space, but held back for two reasons: the first was that he'd insulted his normal handmaid and she refused to help him with his baths anymore, and second was that to bathe by himself in these tubs carried the very real threat of drowning.

He really needed to learn how to swim, but it seemed like the stream of messengers and paperwork _never ended_. If he didn't find some more help, and _soon_ , he might never again find the time for a nice, warm bath by himself. "Koenma-sama, you have a message."

He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, feeling far less relaxed knowing that something _else_ needed his attention. "What is it?" He turned his gaze to the closed door along the far wall, expecting someone to peek in with whatever missive they carried.

" _Um, hello?_ "

He bolted upright at the unfamiliar female's voice, looking around in a panic.

Kagome stared in shock at the holographic image that had just appeared above her device. ' _Oh no_ _— this might have been one of the worst times to call_ _…_ ' She had a very _clear_ three-dimensional image of the demigod in the bath.

"Uh, I'll call back later!" She smacked her free hand to the surface of the device, but the hologram remained visible, projected above her hand. "Oh kami, how do I hang up?! Disconnect call, please?! Hang up! End call!" Her cheeks were blazing red, and she turned her face away from the display hovering over her hand while trying to get the image to go away with peeks of embarrassed desperation.

Koenma was a _tiny_ bit shocked to see the ghostly image of a strange girl hovering over his bathwater just above his knees, but her panicked utterances and the bouncing of the image was so strange he just stared in disbelief and growing amusement until he remembered his state. "Oh! My apologies, one moment." He stood abruptly from the water and snatched a towel to wrap around his hips.

He paused, his fingertips hovering over his robe, then glanced back at the girl that had mysteriously intruded upon his privacy. All he could tell was that she had averted her face from his view and had a hand pressed over her eyes so she couldn't see anything more.

It had been a few decades since he'd last flustered a girl. His cheeks darkened as he intentionally left his robe lying on the table behind him. He leaned back against its edge to peer at this new mystery with his arms crossed over his bare chest. He cleared his throat. "So, who are you, and how did you get in here?"

She peeked between her fingers, and he could tell she was trying to decide if a towel was enough clothing to be considered decent. She turned back to face him, but her eyes only briefly landed on his face before she glanced up and to the side, trying to not look at anything inappropriate. He barely refrained from laughter at her expense.

"I'm—" she brushed her hair behind an ear, clearly embarrassed. "I'm Kagome," she said, glancing at his face as she said it to see if he gave any sign of recognition. None. This was very likely the first time he'd seen her. ' _Oh my gosh, he told me to call him and didn_ _'t say anything about the first time being_ _like this!_ ' She was stuck halfway between being angry and suppressing the slightly hysteric chuckle threatening to burst through her tightly clamped lips.

' _Did he forget or did he do it on purpose?_ ' She swallowed harshly and glanced away from the glistening droplets clinging to his skin. ' _He needs to put on a shirt_!'

She'd seen more skin at swimming pools in the future (and maybe a few accidental glimpses related to hot springs and bad timing), but never had a male simply _stood_ there in—she peeked again— _just_ a towel to chat at her. _Especially_ in this era, such a thing was practically scandalous! Her face burned. "You told me to call you if I had any questions or needed something, and I'm kind of stuck."

"Did I?" He couldn't recall ever speaking to this girl.

"Eh," she paused, glancing at his face again to judge his reaction to her response. "You _will_."

That was not the kind of answer he'd _ever_ expected to hear. ' _Fascinating_.' He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, intrigued.

She made a strangled noise and looked away again. ' _What_ _'s wrong with him?_ '

"So, do you have questions, or do you need something?"

"Can you please get dressed first and then we can talk?"

He laughed, and the sound made her face burn even hotter. ' _Ok, better question is what_ _'s wrong with_ _me?_ '

"Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Ah, wait— what?" His image had already disappeared, and the device had gone blank. ' _How did he get the call to end?_ ' She suddenly felt incredibly uneasy. She was alone in the middle of nowhere and the strangely-behaving demigod was going to … meet her here? Alone? Hopefully with a shirt on. _And pants._

She looked around in a panic. She knew how to deal with trouble-making monks (slap face) and trouble-making youkai (slap face _with magic_ ) but she didn't know how to handle a demigod up to no good. And the fact that it seemed like he'd intentionally flashed _that much_ skin made her think he was definitely _Up To No Good_.

She grabbed the heftiest stick she could find and held it over her shoulder like a baseball bat. She wasn't going to take any chances. There had to be a _reason_ that he'd been all blushy and weird when they'd met again in the 1600s.

He stepped out of a small portal right behind her. "What's with the branch?"

She gasped and whirled in surprise, tripping over her own feet. He blinked as she suddenly disappeared over the ledge with a humongous _splash_. When she didn't reappear right away, he walked carefully to the edge of the boulder where she'd been standing and peered over into the somewhat murky depths of the water below.

He _should have_ expected the hand that reached up to snag the front of his clothes, and he _should have_ been able to dodge her grip or avoid being yanked in as well, but he _didn_ _'t_ and tipped head-first into the deeper-than-expected pool of icy water. In his panic, he flailed and grabbed on to the first things that met his fingertips, which turned out to be a handful of her hair _and a breast_. Coughing water, he pulled his head above the surface, heard a shriek, and got a well-aimed palm to the cheek.

"Kami, put your feet down, idiot! You can stand up!" she practically growled at him. He managed to find his footing and stood up, dripping wet and completely appalled. She pressed fingertips to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut in irritation before she sighed and wiped the water from her face. "Sorry. I suppose I deserved a little bit of that after taking out my fall on you."

"No, I'm sorry. I…" he cleared his throat, "uh…should probably learn how to swim." He looked away and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

She shook her head in disbelief and looked up at him with a half-smile. "Let's start over. I'm Kagome."

"And I'm Koenma."

He helped her out of the chilly water onto the sun-drenched stones. He couldn't help but notice her pale top was stuck to her body and bordering on see-through. He looked back up to her face just in time for her to turn to him with a mischievous grin. She hadn't caught him being inappropriate, but _that look_ in her eyes made him think he might not be the only one with impure thoughts.

"You wanna try something crazy?" she asked, leaning toward him. She'd wondered how he'd known the magic would work the way it did when they'd gotten drenched in Baikal's sitting room, and she now had a good guess that he'd seen it in action before.

He swallowed and nodded, curious about what she had in mind. She reached out for his hand and tugged him closer, and he wrapped his free arm around her waist, trapping their clasped hands between them. She looked up into his face in confusion just as he felt his power swell around the both of them unexpectedly. Something about the magic in her grip multiplied his natural energy, and the _whoosh_ of power repelled the water from them both and blew their hair around in a minor maelstrom of magic.

_Crazy_ , he thought, leaning forward with a sigh to press his lips to hers. She squeaked in surprise and leaned back to break the kiss, her eyes wide. "Um, I just wanted to do the magic thing to dry us off."

He blinked.

She turned a bit pink. "I ah… try to not kiss before the first date. It sets a bad precedence."

His attention was torn between the impressive swell of his own magic buffeting them both and the way it felt to hold her close.

"You should probably let go…" she hedged.

"Yes, of course," he said. He didn't let go.

"I can slap you again if it'll help."

He laughed a little and somehow managed to convince himself to let go. "Sorry, sorry." Stepping back a little to give her space, he crossed his arms over his chest. "So, you needed my help with something?"

As the power faded around them, his brown hair fell neatly into place, but she knew hers had to be fluffed into a tangled mess. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, feeling a bit awkward. This Koenma was definitely less harried and stressed than the older versions she'd previously met. "So, you just dropped everything to come to my rescue?" she teased.

He shrugged. "I was on a break when you appeared out of the blue. Speaking of which, how _did_ you do that?"

"Oh!" She bit her lip, suddenly wondering if she should be showing her technology to him centuries before it had been made. But it had to be correct, right?

Koenma clearly told her to call him _yesterday_ as though he knew she'd be using it to reach out to him in the past. And Tek had said 'call corporate'. Koenma was the boss at Reikai Corporate offices, at least, that's what the location was labeled when she'd visited. When they'd met again in 1650, he'd seemed to have known about her device and at least one of her problems to have that set of gloves already made for her.

She pulled her device out to show him. "This."

"That…?" He peered closer. ' _That looks like a very_ _well made mirror._ _'_

"Yeah, I just held it like this," she demonstrated, "and asked it to call you. Now, don't… freak out or anything." She peered up into his face, watching his eyes as they roved over the smooth features of her little device. "You will give me this in a little less than five hundred years. I used it to call you, but it's also supposed to be able to take me back home. My problem is that I don't know how it works!"

"Five… hundred? _Years_?"

"I said _don_ _'t_ freak out. You look like you're freaking out. I will slap you if I think you're going into shock." She grabbed the front of his shirt and shook him. "Hey!"

' _Not possible_.' His eyes flashed to hers, looking for indications of a lie. "I'm not… I'm fine. Really, though, five hundred years? You're time-traveling?" He asked, looking down into her face. She still held his shirt, and they were standing very close.

She nodded. "I had a quest for a few years that had me traveling back and forth in time to help save the day with the rest of my team." She paused, staring down at the date on the little device. "Actually, we wrapped that mess up about twenty-five years ago, now." Her smile was a little sad. "Some of them might still be alive, somewhere out there."

"Your team?"

She nodded, blinking back a tear. "Sorry. Um, I don't think I'm supposed to see them, though. I'm afraid to mess up the timeline more than I already have."

"Wait, your team is from this time, and you're from…"

"The future."

"Right. What quest did you complete twenty-five years ago?"

She bit her lip again, grimacing. Her voice dropped to a whisper, as though speaking it too loudly might invite a youkai to swoop down on their position to steal what she had thought to be sealed away. "The Shikon no Tama." She quickly glanced around in concern, thinking that it might turn out to be the reason they had so little time left to talk, if Tek turned out to be right about the ones that would be appearing shortly.

His mouth dropped open. The never-ending _stream_ of victims from that cursed jewel had sporadically plagued his office for literally hundreds of years. "And when you said _wrapped that mess up_ , does that mean I can expect to close the file on the trouble that jewel has caused?"

She took a breath to reply, but paused with her lips pressed together as she thought about it. "That… depends?"

His eyes narrowed as he searched her face. "On?"

She fidgeted, and he was reminded of how close they stood. "Well, we sealed it..." She looked away, and her hand clenched in the fabric of his shirt.

He really wanted some answers. At the very least, if she knew where the jewel was, they could put it away in the Vault and not have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands once more. He went out on a limb and gently placed his hands on her upper arms. "Kagome, where is the jewel, now?"

She looked up at him and gave a half-smile. "It's with me."

He tilted his head. "With you? In your pouch or something?"

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the sight of her free hand drifting up to rest over her chest brought an immediate sense of horror and dread. His hands clenched on her arms. "Are - are you… what do you mean?"

Every case that had come through their offices had been clear as day. That jewel was _cursed._ Lives ruined. Families destroyed. Villages leveled. All for the sake of a trinket and the power it promised to hold.

"I was born with it inside of me. It has been returned to where it belongs."

This confirmed it, she was mad. He needed to get her back to the Reikai _immediately_ to see a healer.

She sighed, seeing his expression go from concerned to _Things Are Very Bad_ about as fast as she would have expected. "Stop, whatever you're thinking. There will be time later to tell you the whole story, but I was informed that time is short. We probably only have a few minutes before we need to be _gone_. Here's the _very abbreviated_ version for now, and I promise I'll fill in the details when we have more time, later. We _will_ have more time later."

She skimmed through key points of her quest, how it started, the people she met, how it ended. "Once I got home again, I thought it was all over, but then it turned out there was more to do. I think… no, I'm _certain_ , that the seal we put on the jewel was broken sometime around…"

She trailed off, shuddering at the memory. It hadn't been more than a few weeks ago. "Anyways. I used a lot of my magic to stop something terrible from happening, and then I got possessed." She closed her eyes and brushed her fingertips over her forehead. The water splashing over the rocks beside them was the only sound.

"Once I regained control of myself, things were _very different_. This…" she reached out and pressed her hand to his and reached for that intangible sense of _someone_ that caused her power to bridge between herself and others. She smiled at the sudden rise in his power that tossed their hair around. "This is very new."

He placed his hand over the top of hers, holding it in place as he looked down at her.

"I can't promise that I'm not a danger. I've been practicing with others as opportunities have come up."

He chuckled as a thought came to mind. "If this is what happens every time you touch someone, I think you're going to have some troubles finding a lover that doesn't want you for power."

She gaped at him. All the crazy she'd just unloaded at him and his first thought was about how she might get into a relationship? He didn't _look_ very young, but it was possible he just didn't have enough life experience to handle dealing with a female without thinking sexy thoughts. Maybe the magic just broke the brains of every male she came across.

She pursed her lips, reconsidering. Sesshoumaru definitely did _not_ act like an idiotic horndog, and neither had Baikal. Koenma had been marginally better behaved at their next meeting, so perhaps it _was_ just the inexperience of youth. _Seth_ had certainly been a good example of that.

"It's not every time I touch someone. I have to want to share the power. And it only happens until the power finds a balance. It's hard to be sure without more examples, but it seems like the better in tune I am with someone, the faster the balance occurs." She shrugged, before staring at the waterfall in thought, adding in a mutter, "maybe the characteristics of their magic also affects the…"

"Hm, so you just need to get… _in tune_ with someone," he grinned, tilting his head toward her.

She blushed at his suggestive tone. He grinned even wider, leaning forward with an enthusiastic light in his eyes.

"Anyways," she stepped back abruptly, breaking his hold on her hand. "When that possession mess was said and done, that's when I met you for the first time, and you gave me this." She ran her fingers across the shiny surface of her device before looking up at him. "On that day, don't be offended. I just haven't met you yet." She wagged her finger at him. "And no spoilers!"

This female was either crazy and he needed a very long break from his work after entertaining such madness this afternoon, or she was telling the truth and he _still_ needed a very long break from his work. ' _Such a strange girl. Weird magic. Time traveling. A mystery_.'

" _This_ is way beyond anything we have right now. I'm not sure there's anything I can do to help you until we get farther along in what we understand." He was sorely tempted to just take her back to the Reikai to … well, talk. Learn more. Figure out what was so strange and interesting about this girl.

"Hmm…" She bit her lip and stared up at him in contemplation. Such were the troubles of working with beings that lived for centuries. How long were their memories? "Ok. How about this. Can you make a note to schedule a meeting with me about thirty minutes after you've given me this?"

He stared at her in confusion. "I have no idea what you just asked for."

"Look, just write it down somewhere when you get back to Reikai, and when it makes sense, you'll know what it means." Her device chimed suddenly, and they both glanced down. "Oh, look. See? You scheduled my meeting. I'll see you in a bit!" She gripped his shirt for balance as she stood on her toes and pecked his cheek in thanks, then jammed the [YES] button several times in succession to override the countdown timer to get the _heck out of the past already_ before she vanished from his sight.

"Definitely a strange girl," he said, rubbing his cheek. He waved his hand to summon a portal back to the Reikai, and belatedly noticed a swell of youki rapidly approaching from the south as the portal snapped shut behind him with a flash of light. He shrugged, unconcerned with whatever had just missed their too-short conversation. Youkai were always finding reasons to get worked up in the realm of the living.

He walked back toward his study to write down his notes. He licked his lip and ran his fingers over his cheek with a wide smile. She had some weird problems, like that touching thing, that they could probably do something about between now and then.

Would it really be _five centuries_ before he could see her again?

He looked forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAS KAGOME IS GOING HOME ...sort of


	21. Corporate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As she draws closer to returning home, some questions might actually be answered. _Or not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, as well as the following few that accompany it to be posted over the next few days, takes place immediately after the events in the next-to-last chapter of book 2 (Debrief)

\- _the present (three weeks ago)_ -

Koenma only half-listened to Hisako's report on the events that had happened in the Makai. He glanced down at the time, his foot quietly tapping against the plush carpeting.

"That's the last of it. Thirty-seven sightings have been reported, with more coming in every few minutes. Some of our sources state they're advanced illusions, so we expect it to be the work of her kitsune ally."

Koenma leaned back in his chair, folding his fingers behind his head. He hadn't known exactly what year she'd show up this time. And he _certainly_ hadn't expected her to fall into the Makai as she did, blindly meandering through a deadly place with little to no idea of the dangers she'd face.

The timing had been a complete surprise, and her appearance on their sensors had been _way_ off the mark. Someone like her should have sent the red flags flying, but she'd been barely a blip.

He hadn't known to warn the team about who they were dealing with until she'd waltzed in with the rest of them, ignorant of _everything_. Well, nearly everything.

He rubbed his hands down his face in mild exasperation. It wasn't surprising that only a few Reikai employees that frequented the seventh floor even knew who she was.

Hisako tilted her head, peering down at her distracted boss. "Sir?"

"Anything else I should know about?" He glanced at the time again.

Hisako skimmed her paperwork and bit her lip, watching him with concern. Something _very weird_ was going on. "No, I think that's it."

"Good. Okay." _Any moment now_ _…_

A bright shimmer of light appeared in front of Koenma's desk, rapidly expanding to near blinding brightness before soundlessly collapsing around the dazed figure of Kagome. She blinked repeatedly in a vain attempt to clear her vision from the light. He laughed to himself, realizing she didn't yet have enough control over her hops to prevent the temporary blindness.

Everything was _so_ out of order.

Hisako gasped in delight, nearly dropping the stack of paperwork tucked in her arms. "Kagome-sama! I didn't expect you back so soon!" She glanced down and half of the papers she'd been clutching so tightly fell from lax fingertips. "Oh my goodness, are you okay? You're _bleeding_."

Kagome blinked around the room in a brief moment of confusion, then glanced at the two occupants in the office with surprise. It was strange knowing that she'd probably been standing in this spot thirty minutes prior, a younger, _slightly_ more naive Kagome with only the vaguest idea that her adventures hadn't quite ended like she'd previously thought.

After all the time hopping, she'd seen these two less than a few hours prior but hundreds of years in the past. She was briefly amazed that they looked exactly the same.

Her hand drifting to the suspiciously damp bandages, she quickly remembered her manners and greeted Hisako with a warm smile. "Hello, Hisako. It's nice to see you again." She pulled her fingertips away and glanced at them with a grimace. _So much red._ She sighed. "It's just a minor injury. I need to speak to the boss for a minute. Can we catch up outside the office in a few?" Hisako nodded excitedly and gathered her dropped paperwork.

As the door clicked shut, Koenma looked _absolutely_ sheepish. He plucked his blue bauble from his lips and stuffed it in his pocket. "Sorry about all that, _before_. With the call, I mean. I _honestly_ forgot what happened during our first meeting, and by the time I remembered... well… you were already gone."

"Things seem to happen as they're meant to happen," she said, looking away. "Even if you'd thought to warn me, I guess time finds a way."

He stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of her, looking down into her troubled expression. "You think we cannot change our own fates? That everything is predetermined?"

She shook her head. "I'm not certain, but it seems like it doesn't matter what I do in the past. Everything happens the way it's supposed to. I thought it was a terrible idea to show you my vesper back then, but it didn't seem to affect the timeline of how soon your people would manage to develop the technology here. I can't even wrap my head around the strangeness I've experienced in the last few weeks." She paused, thinking. _Had it really been that long? How many days had she been traveling? Four?_ She twisted the device in her hands, looking at its smooth lines and shiny surface.

She sighed. "I guess if there's anything with my name written on it in the past, just go ahead and add it to my schedule, and I'll get around to it as I have time," she laughed. "Although, having me help with splitting the realms so _early_ in my time-hopping career could have been a bad choice, but I'm glad it didn't blow up in our faces."

He tilted his head. "I didn't put that on your schedule. At least, I don't think I did. I haven't _yet_ , that is."

"Oh, well it might have been-"

"So," he interrupted, leaning toward her before she could find more words to fill the silence, "You want to go on that date, now?" He reached out and plucked a still-muddy twig from top of her quiver.

She pulled back to stare at him. "You waited all that time to ask me out?"

"I dated some over the years." He shrugged and smiled, but she got the odd feeling that his response had been only half of an answer. "I'd really like time to make up for misreading your intentions that day."

"You didn't seem too keen on asking me to accompany you on any _dates_ while we were working on the barrier."

He ducked his head and his cheeks turned pink. "Yeah, you surprised me. It was one of the reasons I was so shocked to see you at that meeting during the war. I'd been thinking I wouldn't get to see you again until _now_ , and I was in the middle of a relationship with someone else at the time. Five hundred years is a long time to pine over a _possibility_. My feelings were pretty conflicted when you showed up."

She couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. "Okay, we can go on a date. But definitely not right now. I'm about a month out of time, in great need of a shower and a change of clothes, and probably a nap."

"What do you mean, a month?"

"I just left here with the others a little while ago, right?"

He nodded.

"I went home, settled in, found out I have more to do, trained for a while, and then started time skipping. I won't be leaving home for…" she paused, thinking. "Three weeks? I probably should have asked you to put something down for weeks from now so I could head straight home once we're done here, but I didn't plan ahead too well."

"I can add something to the calendar," he laughed. "You can go home to the _right_ time as soon as you're ready."

She sighed in relief. "Ok. This thing seems to have some limitations, so I should probably stick around for the countdown like I'm supposed to. Oh!" She glared at him. "Give me an instruction manual or something. It has been an absolute nightmare knowing _nothing_ about this blasted thing!"

"Oh-okay…" He backed away from her sudden irritation.

" _And to make things worse,_ it got some kind of an upgrade and I _still_ have no idea how the heck any of it works!"

"You…" His jaw fell open as he stared at her. "You got an _upgrade_ on a prototype device? The team _just_ finished that version a few days ago!"

"Well, there's this _person_ that's kind of the catalyst for the new time-travel thing to begin with…" she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Sounds like you've got a lot of explaining to do," he remarked with a grin, leaning back against his desk.

Her smile was a bit rueful. "You're right. It doesn't seem like a very short story, and there's a lot of confusing points." She eyed him thoughtfully. "Since I have to stick around for a bit, do you have a place where I can clean up? Maybe we can go do that date and I can tell you what I know."

He nodded in agreement, then glanced down at her neck. "And probably see a healer?" he suggested.

"Yeah, we might want to do that _first_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's a bit short, but it's part 1 of 6 scenes I'm working on for this next section. It's just long enough to go ahead and release to the wild.


	22. Healer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the simplest of problems might have complex solutions. Kagome seems to go a lot of places, talk to a lot of people, and yet never learns anything helpful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another super short chapter, but might as well post it now :) (part 2of6 of the corporate adventure)

"We're heading to the medical wing first," he said to Hisako as they stepped from his office. She nodded in understanding, joining them at the door to the executive elevator. "Hisako, can you have a room prepared for Kagome-sama's use while she's here?"

"I have the perfect one!" Hisako chirped. She bumped the button for the sixth floor with her elbow and grinned at Kagome with excitement. "How long will you be staying this time, Kagome-sama?"

_This time?_ Kagome wondered. The last time she'd been in Reikai, she hadn't stayed long, that was certain.

"Hopefully not longer than a day. I'm eager to get home."

Hisako's face fell, but she turned away to hide her disappointment. "Well," she said, a little less enthusiastic, "We'll keep the room ready for you whenever you want to stop by."

Kagome smiled gratefully. "I'll be sure to make thorough use of your hospitality," she promised.

Hisako stepped out and smiled briefly before dashing out of sight as the doors closed.

"She's very excited to see you again," he murmured.

"It's kind of hard to miss."

"You were one of her heroes. Getting to meet you was the highlight of her afterlife. She's been dogging my steps since then when it came to anything regarding magic like yours."

Kagome hummed in thought. There were countless questions buzzing around in her head, but she wasn't sure where to start. Generic elevator music jingled through the small space, lending a measure of calm and normalcy to her slightly frazzled nerves. "Do you know what I did?" she asked in a small voice.

Koenma chuckled. "Which time?"

She glanced at him sideways as he grinned. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, and they stepped out together. "During the spell to split the realms. I…"

He nudged her with his elbow. "I know a few things. Why are you asking about that?"

"I wonder if the magic realm was meant to be more balanced? I worry that what I did to protect others like me may have made things as bad as they ended up getting."

He shook his head, leading her down a hallway. "Why worry about what you've done in the past? You said, _everything happens the way it_ _'s supposed to_."

"Maybe. I still wonder about it." She sighed. "I was there, in the Makai, right after the spell. It felt… _right_. It was something beautiful, at the beginning." She put a hand on his arm and tugged him to a stop so she could look at his face. "I felt like I _belonged_ there."

Koenma settled his hand atop hers. "Maybe the things we do have results that aren't perfect, but the variety and weirdness and _troubles_ in life are what make the good things even more special." He pulled her along the hall toward the medical wing. "I'm guessing you haven't been to one of the communities since you left Baikal's forever ago."

She shook her head. "Not yet."

He grinned. "You might stop feeling so awful about what you did after you've seen what _else_ you helped do."

A door automatically slid open as they approached, and he waved her to enter before him.

The healer was a tall, crimson-skinned lady with curly hair piled high above her head, held precariously in place with a few dangerously sharp metal spikes.

She strode quickly to Kagome's side and peered down her nose at the bloody bandage with a _tsk_ of dismay. "Such barbaric bandaging. I shudder to think that this is still in practice anywhere."

She snapped her fingers and an assistant came running. "Remove that, then fetch the paperwork. Take a seat, girl."

Kagome sat quickly in the closest chair. _Finally_ , she thought, _someone treating her normal_. The assistant gingerly removed the bandages that had been applied by a different healer hundreds of years ago. (She held back a nervous giggle at the weird thought that she was some kind of walking time capsule.)

The healer stood over the assistant's shoulder, examining her with a critical eye. She took one glance at the tiny wounds and said, "I need samples."

Two tiny vials later, Kagome felt like she'd recited her entire life story to the healer as the assistant filled out a stack of forms on a battered clipboard. Her left fingertips were poked and prodded, the greying skin examined with an odd beeping device before an additional blood sample was taken. The tiny prick thankfully stopped bleeding within a few seconds.

Kagome described the odd burning pain that occurred when she flared her magic, then demonstrated while the healer watched, a tiny pair of odd-looking spectacles perched at the end of her nose. Kagome was a little surprised to catch sight of pink fire flashing from the end of her fingers, literally burning away the grey.

She rubbed her fingertips together in confusion, wondering at the remnant traces of sparkling ash. The healer hummed in thought and took another sample before handing her various objects, asking her to repeat the flares of magic while she took readings and made additional notes.

"We'll begin processing this information immediately, but I don't expect answers right away. Whatever ails you is _subtle_ , and we do not currently have any matching records of it in our database."

Koenma had busied himself with his own device and studiously tapped and swiped on his screen, but Kagome got the impression he was paying very close attention to everything that was said. He glanced up as they finished, tucking his device into a pocket.

Kagome gingerly brushed the new bandage the healer had applied over the cuts. The dozen remedies and sealing techniques they'd tried had either failed within minutes or melted off outright, and they'd resorted to a simple bandage secured with medical tape until a solution could be found.

"Ready?" He asked, standing.

She nodded, feeling dirty, tired, and (most of all) famished.


	23. Lodging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Given enough time, Hisako will probably decorate with custom-made collectibles and miko-memorabilia that no one knew existed.

Aside from the cute tune playing in the background, the elevator ride back to the sixth floor was quiet. She watched his reflection in the mirrored doors. "You didn't seem very surprised by some of those things you heard in medical."

Koenma had his eyes closed as he leaned back against the elevator wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He shrugged, chewing thoughtfully on the end of his bauble. "Five hundred years is a long time to research someone's story. The only things I don't know nearly _every_ detail are whatever you've done to your vesper," he glanced at her from the corner of his eye before continuing, "and how our date's gonna go."

Kagome looked away from his reflection, her face turning pink as she examined the panel indicating their current floor.

He chuckled briefly, standing straight as the elevator slowed and _dinged_ their arrival. "I might also want a few more details about that mess in the Makai, like how you managed to sneak in there and only set off one of our alerts."

Kagome brought a hand to her mouth in surprise. "You have _alarms_ set on the barrier?"

Koenma held the elevator doors open for her, staring. _She doesn_ _'t even know about the alarms, yet?_ "We'll discuss that later. Come on."

He stopped in front of a door decorated with a gaudy wreath of dried violet flowers and sparkling tinsel. He lifted his hand to knock but barely missed his target as Hisako unexpectedly threw open her door with a grin and pushed him out of the way, running to the neighboring room.

"Look, look, this one's for you!"

Koenma grinned and shook his head in amusement. "I have more paperwork to handle. Hisako, can you show her back to the office when she's done?" Hisako nodded enthusiastically, then shoved him down the hallway to get him going.

She returned quickly to push open the door and beckon her inside, thrilled to have Kagome occupying the room between hers and Botan's. Kagome left the door open as she followed her through the entryway.

"Here's a closet where you can hang your belongings. We have a laundry service that picks up three times a day."

Kagome set her bow and quiver next to the closet door and pulled off her haori with a sigh of relief. She shook it out and folded it carefully, pleased that it had worked so well in the desert. She tugged at the edge of her bodysuit, surprised that she had somehow avoided direct combat the whole time she'd been gone. Next time, she expected, she might not be so lucky. She'd continue to embrace her protections, regardless of how much use they might not get.

"And here's the bathroom, complete with a shower and tub. I had new sheets brought up from procurement. They're the _best._ _"_ She hopped a little in excitement, then waved at an open space around the corner. "There's a kitchenette over here."

She started toward one of the cabinets just as Botan walked by the open door and did a double-take. "Wait a second," she gaped. "I _just_ dropped you off in the Ningenkai!"

Kagome and Hisako shared a look and laughed.

Botan was _not_ amused.

Kagome struggled against her smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Botan, there is much you must know." She fingered one of the fastenings of her bodysuit, gazing at the bathroom door with a look of longing. "Let me get showered and changed into something other than _this_ and you both can third-wheel my date with Koenma."

Hisako blushed and Botan stared in shock. " _Date?_ "

Kagome laughed, feeling a little weird. "Well, maybe a date. I don't know. _I don_ _'t date_. But I don't think it'll _really_ be a date if we're just discussing what's been going on. More like a business meeting?"

Both girls waved their hands in denial, refusing to tag along on something so private that she'd have dared to call it a _date_.

"Alright, then. The short story is, yes, you dropped me off, and if you go back there right now, I'm probably still there, walking down the street on my way home." She tapped her lip and looked up at the ceiling. She was surprised to spot a subtle pattern of twisting flowers etched into the panels. Botan made a small noise to catch her attention. "Sorry, I'm a bit tired. I'll be there for a few more weeks before I go back in time on some adventures. I just returned."

"Time travel," Botan said with some suspicion.

"Time travel," Hisako confirmed.

Botan turned to stare at her coworker. "And you _knew_ about this?"

Hisako shrugged. "She's only popped up a few times since I started working for Reikai, but I knew of Kagome-sama _before_ I died. Her story is kinda wild! I'll tell you about it while she showers," she promised, clutching the taller girl by the arm. "Kagome-sama, do you need anything, maybe an outfit?"

Kagome shook her head. "I have something." She glanced down at her belongings, thinking about the mess hidden within the bright folds of fabric. "Actually…" Her pouch was likely still full of sand, along with all of her spare clothes. "Yeah. I could use something else to wear, but _please_ nothing fancy..."

The girls left her in peace for a few minutes. Kagome peeled off her hakama and bodysuit, her eyes riveted to the ordinary shower like it was the greatest invention of the century. (it was.)

She paused in front of the mirror, catching sight of the bandage against her neck. She bit her lip, staring at it in concern. It _really_ should have healed by now, or at least stopped _bleeding_. She'd have to be careful to not get it wet. Washing her hair would have to wait for another day, at least. She should have showered first before going to see that medic.

Long sigh.

Longer shower.

Hisako had left a simple violet yukata on her bed along with some soft socks. Her shoes didn't match.

She didn't really care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short one, but, meh? :)


	24. Café

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another date, but this time fewer teammates are around to distract from the real reason two people might sit down for a chat over tasty food.

"It's a café just a few blocks from here. Great soups and sandwiches, but the desserts are _top notch_ ," he remarked, his voice muffled as he dug through the dark recesses of a closet tucked in the corner of his office.

She lounged in one of the office chairs, playing with the cuff of her left glove while contemplating how badly her shoes matched Hisako's borrowed yukata. She felt like she looked way too casual for going out anywhere with the guy in charge of an entire realm, but she was a little too hungry and a _lot_ too tired to be bothered with keeping up appearances.

He emerged with a small sound of triumph, holding out a dark length of fabric. "For you!" he announced with a grin.

She stood and took it with a look of confusion, pulling apart the folds until she could figure out what it was. "Is this…" she tugged a few more times, "…a cape?"

"A _hooded_ cape! It has a spell on it to help hide the wearer. I've used it a few times to sneak out of the offices when I've needed a break. It will be enough to disguise that you're in Reikai when _at least_ one of the employees knows for certain that you returned to the Ningenkai with Botan. Fewer questions."

She swung it around her shoulders and he helped adjust it to hide her face, tucking her hair behind the folds of the dark fabric. "There, this should work perfectly." His fingers lingered on the edges of the hood, his eyes on hers for a moment before tugging the ties beneath her chin, securing it in place.

He grinned, the corner of his lips curling behind the blue bauble that he seemed to constantly chew on.

"How do you ever kiss anyone if that thing is always in the way?" She hadn't really meant to blurt that question, but now that it was in the open, she turned away, her face red as he laughed. _Oh my gosh, something is very wrong with me._

Still chuckling, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. "Maybe it's there to discourage amorous admirers," he remarked. "And I don't always have it _in the way_ , if you'll recall."

She pressed her lips together. _Yep, that memory was still pretty clear._

The executive elevator took them down to the first floor, where he quietly ushered her from the building. They walked in silence along the busy Reikai sidewalks as Kagome looked around with interest. She was most surprised by a lack of sun or sky.

"It's called the _underworld_ for a reason," he explained.

The only illumination along the paved walkways were softly glowing lanterns. "Electricity?"

"Bioluminescent insects. One of the techs figured out a food they're attracted to, so they constantly congregate to feed."

"It seems a little dreary without the sun," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"It is, but most people aren't here for long as they're processed, and the employees go on vacation to sunnier spots. Some of the offices have TV screens instead of windows."

_Strange._ The Reikai reminded her of a spacious cavern, with most sections of whatever surrounded them too far away to make out as more than an impossible darkness. Tiny spots of light nearly resembled stars, but Koenma explained they were workers with lamps, stationed along the craggy breaks and gaping maws.

"What do they do?"

Koenma shrugged. "It's a section under supervision of a department one of the ogres oversees. Unless they have a major problem, I don't really know what their various projects are."

Kagome stared into the distance for a moment, feeling a brief shiver of unease. _How many little things are overlooked as being unimportant that end up being big problems? He must have a lot of faith in his employees._

He drew her attention from the tiny yellow specks in the distance to the tiny purple specks scattered behind a gated section between the next two buildings. "We have gardens of flowers that thrive under low light conditions."

She gasped and knelt to peer closely at the little blossoms. "These look like the flowers Hisako has hanging on her door," she said, brushing gloved fingers against the petals of one growing through the bars of the little fence.

"She spends a lot of breaks out here looking for more flowers."

Kagome smiled in sad nostalgia, remembering a little girl from long ago that used to collect every flower she came across.

The café was a quaint, two-story building with a few empty tables along the sidewalk and a tiny neon sign. He led her inside where a few patrons sat in darkened booths, sipping drinks and eating meals, as normal as any restaurant in the mortal realm. He quietly led her to a narrow set of stairs along the left wall where they walked up the creaking wooden slats to the second floor.

He reached past her to unhook a velvet chain that blocked the landing. "I reserved the upstairs so we wouldn't have anyone close enough to eavesdrop."

"Oh," she said, wishing she could stop blushing and assuming the worst. He _did_ just accost her at the side of a pretty waterfall not even a few hours ago, but he'd been hundreds of years younger. _Surely_ he'd grown up a little and she shouldn't have to worry about fending off an amorous demigod without witnesses around to save the day. She pushed back her hood with a little smile and shook her head. She was being needlessly paranoid.

_Probably._

A tall, blue male with a slight balding problem and a horn in the middle of his forehead appeared with a flourishing bow. "Koenma-sama and Kagome! Welcome!" He pulled out one of the seats in a far corner and beckoned Kagome to come and sit. "Please be seated!"

Kagome smiled and wondered at the strange use of her name after so many other instances where people kept walking on eggshells. _Someone that knows me but dropped the honorific? Odd._

Koenma tilted his head. "Jorge, what are you doing here?"

"I'm your server, today!"

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "But you don't work here."

Jorge held up a finger with a wide smile. "Ah, this is true, but I _do_ work for you, sir. So here I am, ready to serve!"

He handed Kagome a menu and flicked out her napkin to settle over her lap. "The special today is the chicken florentine, but frankly everything on the menu is _divine,_ " he said with a wink.

Kagome laughed, glancing down at the embossed pages of her menu.

She was careful to only order a normal amount of food. Regardless of how hungry she felt, she knew that three entrees would _not_ fit in her stomach.

As soon as Jorge disappeared into a darkened hall with a promise to return with drinks, Kagome pounced with the first question. "So what's it called?"

He propped his head on his palm and gave her an appraising look. "That question can be answered about a dozen ways. Care to be more specific, or should I start spouting names of things you probably never wanted to know?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, not quite sure what he was getting at. "Your, ah… blue bauble." She waved at his mouth. "I tried very hard to not chew on my magical belongings, but you seem to have an impulsive thing with it. And with Yusuke calling you _toddler_ , I can't help but think…" she trailed off.

He grinned and plucked it from his mouth. "Pacifier?"

She bit her lip to suppress the laugh that threatened the quiet space.

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It gets the job done and I'd rather know it's always at hand, rather than leave it somewhere on accident." He tucked it into a pocket. "It rarely gets put away, but I can think of a few reasons it might need to be today."

The look he gave her was just a bit telling. She folded her hands on the table and looked down at the stitching of her gloves, desperate to get her thoughts off of anything cute (him) or blush-worthy (whatever he probably had on his mind).

Jorge brought drinks, then pulled up a chair and plopped down next to them. "Kagome, I'm so glad to get to see you again!" He paused at the look of irritation Koenma shot him before barreling on. "I know you said you wouldn't know me this time, but it's okay. Can I get you anything else? More tea?"

Kagome hid her smile with a hand.

Jorge's eyes flicked to her wrist. "Oh my gosh, you don't even have a scar!"

Koenma choked on his water as his eyes widened in dismay. "Jorge, can you go check on our meal, please? Kagome's probably starving. If it's not ready, can you bring some kind of appetizer?"

"Sure, boss!" Jorge hopped up with a smile and dashed away.

"A scar? I have a ton of those," she said in confusion.

He shrugged.

"Is this another one of those things you aren't going to tell me about even though it probably doesn't really matter if I know?"

He looked away.

She narrowed her eyes. _I bet Jorge would tell me._

He adjusted his shirt, feeling a little uncomfortable with Kagome's growing irritation. "We _originally_ came here for you to tell me more of what you know about your device and the time traveling…" he trailed off, glancing at her. "I really think it's better if I don't tell you about that one. The memory of what happened is much worse than how it ended up. _Please_ , believe me."

She frowned, but decided she would let it go. Besides, she'd eventually have first-hand experience of whatever it was he didn't want to talk about. Sighing, she changed the subject. "So you really have all the details, hmm? I'm surprised you haven't asked me any about the jewel," she said, twisting her glass of water between her fingertips.

"I've heard the story a few times already. After you left, I did some digging for answers. That was some adventure you went on."

He leaned forward with a grin, perching his chin on his palm. "I'd love to hear it again from your point of view," he said.

She couldn't stay upset with him. He had such over-the-top expressions, like he tried to channel Kurama's charm with none of the smooth kitsune style. She laughed.

He leaned back, looking like he'd accomplished something important.

"We're here to talk about the vesper, though, right?" She asked, leaning back as well to cross her arms over her chest.

"Tell me what happened. Tell me your thoughts. I want it all."

Ignoring the thought that he probably slipped that last sentence in there to mean more than just the tales she had to tell, she jumped in. The strange request, the odd mystic, the promises of technology still so far in the future. The concept of time being circular— _whatever that meant_ —and the little she'd remembered of Tek's rambling explanations.

"None of it matters," she finished with a scowl. "…Or _all_ of it matters. He was so damned confusing."

Koenma pressed a hand to his chin, deep in thought. "We're going to meet with someone today to talk about the vesper. He'll have more answers. We might _also_ need to find someone with an interest with theoretical physics. Some of the observations and theories this Tek fellow had might prove useful."

Kagome paused, her water glass inches from her lips, as a memory suddenly clicked. "Shippo and Kurama met him, you know. The day I sent him home." She chewed on her lip and set the glass down as she realized something else. "The same day you and I met. Tek had said we were at a crossroads. Oh my gosh, we were _all there_ on that day, within _minutes_ of each other."

Koenma's tapping finger stilled on his chin. " _Really?_ "

She grinned with excitement. "I'm not certain it'll stand out in Kurama's memory, but Shippo has a bit of a story about it. I can't believe it… He had been _so close_ , and I'd been in a hurry to leave!" She pressed a palm to her face with a brief chuckle. "And there I was, thinking I was in some kind of _danger_. Danger of staying, maybe!"

Koenma's wheels were already churning, and she bet he'd be calling a certain kitsune for more information in the near future. "This is fascinating. Of all the places and times we could have met…"

Jorge appeared with plates carefully lined across his arm and a bowl of some deep fried _things_. "Food has arrived!"

Koenma laughed as Kagome pressed her hands together and wiggled in her seat with anticipation. "You act as though you haven't eaten in a century!"

"Or three," Kagome muttered, pulling her plate close with a happy sigh.

"This place is gonna be hopping next month with that solar eclipse," Jorge commented, dropping down again in an empty seat. He helped himself to a few of the friend things, and they crunched noisily in his mouth.

"What in the world are those?" Kagome asked, once she'd swallowed her first bite.

"Fried clams." _Crunch._

Kagome looked skeptical. "Are they still in their shells?"

Jorge nodded with a wide smile as he chewed.

Kagome grimaced. "Neat." _Not neat. Not at all._

"Want one?" he asked, holding out the bowl.

Kagome politely declined. Jorge was not disappointed as he crunched into another.

Koenma nodded in agreement with Jorge's earlier observation. "This place might indeed _be hopping_. We're anticipating some kind of trouble next month with the total solar eclipse. The humans find it to be a visual spectacle. We find it to be a bit of a headache."

Jorge hummed. "There's always some crazy person that pops out intending to take over the world."

Koenma tapped a chopstick against his lip, peering at his bowl in thought. "I'm thinking about putting out an alert to all of our teams to be on the lookout for any trouble brewing. The villain almost always leaves clues that they're up to something. I bet we can find them this year before anything bad happens."

Kagome reached out for her tea with a satisfied sound. _So much delicious._ "Yusuke was joking there'd end up being some zombie apocalypse."

Koenma shuddered. "I can just _imagine_ the mountain of paperwork _that_ would be. I'm thankful so much of Japan cremates. Fewer bodies to worry about rising from the dead, roaming the city, hungering for brains."

Kagome sputtered, nearly making a mess of her drink. "Zombie apocalypse is _not_ an actual thing, right? That's just stuff in movies. Fiction."

Koenma pressed his lips together. "It wouldn't be the first time I've seen the dead rise from the grave to cause trouble."

"On that note, I'll just take _these_ …" Jorge laughed and picked up the empty plates.

Kagome set her cup on the table and watched him walk away, plates expertly balanced like he'd waited tables a hundred times before. Maybe he had.

Alone at the table again, Koenma's fingers reached out to the hand on her cup and traced the soft fabric of her glove. "After all these times of seeing you, I'd hoped this one would be when you'd finally stop turning me down," he murmured.

She tilted her head, watching him closely. He seemed regretful. "What are you talking about? This is only the second occasion we've had any time to talk alone, just the two of us."

He smiled a little, glancing up with bright brown eyes. "That's only half-true. I just keep wishing for something I don't think will ever come to pass."

"I don't really have the kind of time a relationship would require. Too much saving the world going on, not enough time to put toward another person," she said, leaning forward to look into his face. Surely he _knew_ this, especially with the amount of work his duties required. Setting aside any amount of time to nurture a fledgling relationship would be difficult, if not impossible. _Except for one small detail. She can time travel._

She bit her lip, watching him as he frowned.

He turned his attention back to the stitching along the edge of her left glove. "It's strange to have known you across so many eras, but you've had only a fraction of our experiences together. I think Fate has set us up for this letdown, again and again."

"I don't understand," she said, releasing her cup. She turned her hand up and caught his fingers as he moved to trace the seam again. "What has happened in the past, between us, that you already regret and I haven't yet seen?"

His eyes closed for a moment as his fingers clutched hers. "It doesn't matter. Maybe one day, one year, we'll be in the right state of mind, both of us, that this will make sense." He opened his eyes and looked at her with a small grin. "Anyways, you've indicated you had eyes for another more than once, and I'll respect that."

She frowned, wondering what he meant. Who did she have _eyes for_ the last few times he'd seen her?

He suddenly leaned across the table with a lascivious smirk. "Can't say I wouldn't mind just bending you over this table and-"

"Dessert?" Jorge interrupted, sliding a huge silver platter between their faces and missing Koenma's nose by a centimeter. It was laden with various slices of cakes, saucers of puddings, delicate cups of mousse, and a few deep fried confections with dollops of whipped cream.

Kagome blinked up at the towering blue ogre, thankful for the interruption despite her cheeks burning with implications that Koenma _wanted_ her.

Why?

Like many girls her age, she had the classic problem of not being sure what anyone would find appealing. She felt occasionally self-conscious about how she looked, or her many scars, or how her interests were very _different_ from what 'normal' people cared about. So many things that didn't _really_ matter but still somehow held weight in her eyes.

_Unlike_ any girls her age, she spent all of her time practicing and training in case the world went to shit, and then she dropped everything to try and save the day when it actually _did_. She didn't spend time primping in front of mirrors, socializing and learning interesting tidbits to keep potential admirers salivating. She didn't think her wilderness cooking skills were _that_ impressive. And being able to patch up wounds was hardly much of a draw anymore.

She supposed that anyone she did end up getting into a relationship with nowadays would have to have a more practical view of the world. Not everything revolved around having the best-paying job, the newest hairstyle, or the most fashionable outfits.

Someone like Koenma was probably closer to the kind of person she should be dating, instead of what someone in her age group would find 'normal'.

She snatched up a little chocolate thing from the silver tray and looked away. "I guess I'm just not quite ready for any of that, yet."

"Being ready and accepting that it _is_ are two different things," he replied, accepting a mousse. "Jorge, can you bring us two coffees?"

"Tea for me, instead, please," she clarified. "Thank you, Jorge." Jorge slipped away as quietly as he'd appeared. "He has impeccable timing," she observed.

"The _worst_ timing," he muttered, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He turned his attention back to his dessert with a sigh. "Look, you can't just postpone living because you have lives to save. If you never take any moments for yourself, you'll start to lose touch of what it means to be alive."

Kagome nibbled at her dessert, thinking about what it might mean to live for herself every once in a while. Isn't that what she'd been doing for those months before the Goshinboku had sent her on the mission into Makai?

She'd been a bit of a hermit after the quest for the jewel had ended. Her time hosting the vine had made it impossible (or highly dangerous, at least) to try any kind of regular social life. Since she'd recently been freed from it, she'd continued to stay at home, but she wasn't so alone anymore.

She'd always had her family, but now she didn't have to keep her distance.

She had Shippo back in her life.

She had a newcomer, Hiei, that had dropped in and _stayed_.

His teammate kept asking for more time to spend with her. _Dating_. (She didn't think she had enough time to be dating... or did she?)

What more could she want?

Jorge returned with their drinks and Koenma put in one final request for something in a to-go bag. She turned her attention to his pretty brown eyes, the curl of his lips as he chuckled at Jorge's antics, the way his hair fell around the markings on his forehead. Maybe it was time to start thinking about the answers to that question.


	25. The Seventh Floor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta confer with the expert, aka Greg.

On the seventh floor, Koenma led her down the least interesting hallway she'd seen yet in this strange office building they used to run the Reikai. Hanging on one side of the hall was a single framed poster of a cat balancing on a clothesline. It was _just_ a bit crooked, and Kagome reached out to straighten it as Koenma stopped and faced the bare wall on the opposing side.

"Koenma, requesting access." After a beat of silence, a tiny panel slid open to expose a shiny palm reader. He placed his hand for a quick scan, heard a quiet beep, and grinned at her over his shoulder as a crack of light became visible beneath a door that shimmered into view.

It slid open with a hiss and he walked inside with Kagome close at his heels. "This is our Technology and Research division, although our current projects are pretty limited. Greg is the only employee here most days." Something heavy _crashed_ to the floor at the corner of the room, and both whirled in surprise at the sound of shattered glass tinkling loudly across the floor.

"Sorry, sorry!" A very short, _very furry_ person shuffled forward, waving his hands in anxiety over the mess.

"Greg, this is—"

" _Kagome-sama,_ _"_ Greg breathed, the long fluff of green fur hanging over his eyes lifting comically high to clear his vision long enough for him to get a good look.

"Okay, Koenma, this is getting really weird. _Why_ do so many people know who I am? I think I'm entitled to a _few_ spoilers by now."

"There's a portrait of you hanging in the break room," Koenma said offhandedly.

"I'm not joking, I need to know. Was I already here? Did I meet all these people and now I'm just being rude by not knowing who any of them are?"

Greg laughed. "No, really, there's a portrait of you in the break room."

Kagome stared at the two of them. "You've got to be kidding me."

Greg shrugged. "It's been there for as long as I can remember. Someone dusts it on occasion."

She held up her hand in a futile attempt to cease the insanity and pressed the fingers of her other hand to her forehead in confusion.

Greg tried to clarify. "It's not in _every_ break room, just the one on our floor. And our floor isn't visited by many employees, so it's not that big of a deal…"

Kagome deflated. "Why is my life so _weird_?" she whined.

Greg chuckled, clapping his hands together and turning back to his mess. "Well, that might not be a question I can ever answer, despite our best attempts." He did some flicking maneuver with his fingertips and the broken device leapt back together again, the glass shards flying from the floor in a sparkling whirl that reverted into a solid piece before bouncing back into position along its surface. "Sorry about the mess. I was startled to have visitors and it slipped."

"Did you just…" she trailed off in disbelief, staring at the weird thing as he picked it up and turned it over to inspect the surface.

"I have a bit of a thing with time. I can undo stuff from the last few minutes," he grinned.

"That's why Greg works in the Research division. If anyone breaks something or we accidentally blow up an office, he's usually here to save the day."

Kagome's mouth fell open. _That_ _'s amazing._ "Does it work on people?"

"Nah, only stuff. If someone is accidentally obliterated, I can't do anything about that. The thing about most of us working in Reikai, though, is that we generally can't die. We're all either already dead or something beyond life."

Koenma pulled out a chair and placed the paper bag on an empty stretch of table. Greg's nose quivered. "Did you… bring me…" Greg trailed off, his lower lip wobbling dangerously.

Koenma nodded seriously. "I brought _two_."

Greg gasped and snatched the bag faster than Kagome could have imagined possible. He plastered the open end to his face and took a deep, snuffling breath, and Kagome clamped her lips shut in wide-eyed disbelief at the unexpected behavior. She wanted to laugh, but she didn't know this person very well and didn't want to be rude.

After another appreciative sniff, Greg turned what could only be a suspicious expression to Koenma's carefully neutral smile. "What's with the bribe?"

Koenma briefly glanced at Kagome before folding his hands on the tabletop. "Don't be mad."

Greg's fingers clutched the paper bag with sudden ferocity. "What did you break?"

"Now, now, I didn't _break_ anything." He glanced at Kagome again. "Kagome, I brought you here to meet Greg because he's the one that developed your vesper."

Greg scratched his head. "Vesper?"

Kagome pulled out the little silver comms device as she sat down in the chair next to Koenma.

"You _named_ it?" he asked, reaching out for the prototype.

She shrugged. "That's what it's called," she said, matter-of-factly.

His eyebrows perked up as he tapped the screen. "Seems in good condition still…" he trailed off with a gasp. " _What did you do to it?_ _"_

Kagome flinched. "I didn't _do_ anything. It got some kind of an upgrade?" Or at least, she _thought_ it had gotten an upgrade. Who _knew_ what weird stuff Tek had done to it…

Greg whipped out a notebook jammed with precise handwriting and began furiously tapping at the vesper's surface, scratching notes into the margins. His incensed muttering trailed off into occasional gasps and growls.

Kagome exchanged a nervous glance with Koenma.

" _Call Mar_ ," Greg commanded, and the vesper trilled a tiny sound before another furry person appeared in a little holographic image over the screen. Greg nearly fell out of his seat with a shout of surprise. " _ **Mar**_ _,_ _"_ he shouted, "You've _got_ to get down here _right away._ "

Koenma glanced at Kagome from the corner of his eye. "So, that's the kind of image you got to see, huh?"

Her eyes widened as she turned pink and turned her gaze away. "Certainly not _on purpose_ ," she muttered.

Mar tripped over her feet when she burst into the room, surprised to come face-to-face with _the lady on the wall_. "Oh my gosh it's—" Greg quickly slapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish her statement.

Kagome dropped her head to the table. "Greg, may I have your paper bag so I can hide my face?"

"Mar, forget that for now, just come look at this," he hissed. They bent over the table and the pair muttered in tandem as her fingers expertly navigated the interface. Greg scrawled notes as fast as he could. Expletives were clearly muttered. Kagome felt herself getting worried. _What had Tek_ _ **done**_ _to her device?_

"Uh, Kagome-sama?" Greg tentatively asked.

"Hm?" she responded, peering over warily.

"When you say it got an upgrade, what exactly did you mean?"

"How much do I tell them?" she asked, looking at Koenma.

He shrugged. "From what you've told me, if they aren't meant to know, you wouldn't be here about to answer their questions. No meteor has been reportedly heading toward this realm, and I don't _think_ Greg has anything highly flammable brewing in that coffee pot over there, right?" He turned a questioning gaze in his direction.

Greg shook his head in confused denial.

She bit her lip and shrugged, then did her best to explain about Tek and what she'd seen him do in exchange for the energy boost.

Greg nodded in thought. "We've been working on a power source like that, but nothing has clicked yet. That friend of yours says it won't be figured out for a while? I'm not surprised. The last few attempts exploded." He shook his head. "A software update from someone a few centuries ahead of us could mean a huge number of possibilities. It shouldn't be able to project images like we just saw with that call, let alone allow you to travel through time." His lips twisted into a frown. "But if it's just a _bridge_ …" he tapped his lip with the pencil.

He turned to her with a strange expression. "There are a few of us with abilities that affect time. Not many. You might wanna meet Angara. She can help you figure out some stuff."

Kagome's eyebrows raised. That wasn't the first time she'd heard that name. "Is she available?"

Koenma nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, Angara would be a good contact. I'll see if we can schedule a meet with her."

"Shippo told me she wouldn't be available for a few weeks," she murmured, remembering his grouches that he couldn't get her to come help with training before Kagome had gone.

Koenma shrugged. "I'll still make some inquiries. Maybe she wasn't available because she was scheduled to be _here_ , working with you."

She grinned lightly. "I'm not _planning_ on staying here for weeks, you know. As soon as I can, I want to get home. Being this close yet so far away is _maddening_."

Koenma sighed in regret. "It's a shame you want to go so soon. I'm sure the team has a few thousand questions they want to ask."

"No, no no, why would they want to know so much? What are you not telling me? _Why_ is there a portrait of me on the breakroom wall?"

Koenma laughed. "Well, it _started_ as a joke. It stuck around. If I tell you the whole story though, it won't be as funny for you when it _actually_ happens."

"That's _so rude,_ " she muttered.

Mar peered over her shoulder at the two. "Sorry, Kagome-sama. Your time-travel thing gives me such a headache. I don't know how you deal with it."

Kagome nodded in agreement. "I'm guessing," she said, turning her attention back to Koenma, "that I've been here more than a few times between then and now?"

He shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes. "It shouldn't matter if I know, you realize."

Mar and Greg snickered as he turned pink.

Greg cleared his throat, shooting a wary glance at Kagome. "You know, Koenma-sama, you're supposed to-"

Koenma snapped up a hand in a clear indication that he _should not_ finish that sentence.

Greg's eyebrows rose, revealing big brown eyes as he stared hard at the demigod. "You're gonna get in trouble, sir."

Koenma chewed thoughtfully on the end of his bauble, staring right back at Greg.

Greg shrugged. "Anyways, Kagome-sama, let's get back to what your… uh, what did you call it again?"

"Vesper."

Mar made a sound of delight. "That's so perfect! … _especially_ after the first one caught fire. Its codename was Mercury."

Koenma shrugged at Kagome's look of confusion.

"Oh, come on, none of you guys know… Venus? The evening star?" A round of blank looks met her expectant gaze. "Fine, _whatever_. The lot of you are just uncultured swine." She sniffed derisively and muttered something about needing a martini before she prowled out of the room in irritation.

Greg apologized with a look of chagrin. "A lot of us on this floor have our moments." He cleared his throat and waved Kagome over. "Anyways, about your vesper. I have no idea how much that guy's upgrade has changed. There's the obvious stuff, like the display doing that fancy holographic display. That shouldn't be possible with the hardware we installed. I expect you'll get more surprises as you use it."

He swiped the screen clear of content and showed her what she recognized, the current time/location with the countdown in the corner. "Tap here to open the menu," he pointed, and she did. A pretty white box popped up over the screen, hovering just over the surface. "Geez, it does stuff when you touch it that doesn't happen for us." He trailed off in further mutterings, scribbling additional comments in his notebook. "Okay, at the bottom of the menu should be the HELP option, which will have the user guide and troubleshooting stuff. Most of the questions you have about it should be answered in there. I've taken notes about some of the stuff that looks new or different. If you wouldn't mind leaving it with me for a few hours tonight I'd be most grateful. I want to get more data."

She shrugged. "I'm going to want to eventually sleep for an undisturbed eight hours, so you can have at it for a while," she smiled.

"Excellent!" He scooted closer, pointing at another menu option. "Here's where the tasks are located. It looks like you have quite a few already added. I'm _guessing_ those are more locations you will be visiting eventually." She glanced down at the list of over a dozen destinations. None of them looked familiar or meant anything to her.

"Is there a way I can set my own destination?" she asked, swiping past a few listings in the past to the very last one in the list, the only entry that seemed to be set in the future. It was a different color than the rest.

Greg finished off a note at the edge of the page. "Hmm, I'm not sure yet about that." Glancing over at the screen's display, he gasped and flipped to a fresh page in his notebook. "Dude. _Dude, Koenma-sama_ , this one looks like a trip to the future!" He wiggled in his seat, peering closer at the tiny numbers. The three crowded around the screen. "Doesn't look like it's something you can tap on right now, though. It's disabled for some reason. Maybe you have to do something first. Oh, _oh_ kind of like those quests in stories where the hero has to get the magic sword to unlock the gate leading into the dungeon!"

Kagome stared at him. "What kind of _magic sword_ am I going to have to find in order to unlock that destination?"

He laughed nervously. "I mean, maybe you just have to do the ones that come before it. Maybe these are listed in order of expected completion?"

Kagome frowned at a few of the years listed at the top. "Maybe." _1506? 1517?_ _1660?_ What could possibly need her attention during each of these listed years? So many jumps through time. She took a deep breath, thinking about what lie ahead. Once she knew how to get home, she could tackle one of these at a time, taking breaks and recovering as needed. This shouldn't be _too_ awful.

She sighed in resignation. Time needed her to do some stuff, so it looked like she might be busy for a while.

"Oh man, this is so great. Mar's going to _flip_." He scurried over to the coffee machine to start a fresh pot.

"They're going to be occupied for a bit as they try to figure out what was done to upgrade your device. If you want answers on how to use it, they'll be your best bet." He stood and turned toward the furry green technician with a bright smile. "Thanks for your hard work, Greg. Let me know if you need anything. Otherwise, we'll be back in the morning."

She bit her lip as she watched the enthusiastic technician. "Don't lose any sleep over this," she suggested, but at his nonchalant wave and excited mutterings, she was pretty sure he wouldn't be abandoning his new interest for a while. Or ever.

Koenma escorted her back to her room with a sigh of regret. "I wish we had more time to visit, but I'm positive the paperwork is overtaking my desk as we speak."

She grinned a bit ruefully. "It's alright. I'm looking forward for some peace and quiet before I head home. Who knows what trouble is waiting for me back at the shrine, and I am not sure how long it'll be before I have to head out for my next tasks."

"I'll have a light meal delivered in a few hours, if you'd like." He shifted close enough to touch as she leaned back against her door and looked up into his eyes.

"Yes, please. That would be nice."

He glanced at her lips, then smiled behind his _pacifier_. "So many things in the way," he muttered with a laugh. "I'll see you in the morning, Kagome-sama."


	26. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little rest and relaxation can be a bit harder to attain when you're so far from home. And then stuff gets broken.

She shut the door behind her, releasing the breath she'd been hanging on to as Koenma sauntered back down the hall. Their interactions felt more familiar than they should have, considering how few times she'd seen him. But how many times had he seen _her?_

He made her second-guess herself, wonder why the heck she was holding back. She bit her lip, staring blankly into the empty room. He just didn't feel like the right person for her. Sure, he was cute and _seemed_ nice enough.

He probably had a lot of people depending on the choices he made, though. Could she even entertain the idea of having a relationship with someone who might one day be required to weigh the needs of others against her own? Her head thumped back against the door.

One day, her existence might end up being a threat or a liability to the stability of the world. Did she want him to value her life over another's? Was she even selfless enough to hope he'd do the right thing?

She wanted to trust his intentions. He seemed like a great guy.

She leaned back against the door and slid down the solid surface to sit on the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees in the gloom of her darkened room. No windows. She turned her gaze to where the window was in her bedroom. If she were home, she'd walk over, push the window open, and lean out between the sheer drapes. She'd take a deep breath of the city air, tempered _just slightly_ by the presence of so many trees around the shrine.

She'd listen to the sound of cars drifting by on the street far below, the wind through the Goshinboku, the clink of dishes downstairs, the shuffling of broom bristles whisking across the stone courtyard.

They didn't normally set up displays for things like solar eclipses, but her grandfather had been excited about getting back into the swing of shrine tending with the return of his health. She wouldn't be surprised if he unearthed some ancient tome that outlined an obscure event that hadn't been observed in a few centuries. And Shippo would undoubtedly be at his elbow, adding in ridiculous details to humor the old man.

She smiled. Shippo never failed to make her laugh. And now with Hiei added into the mix? They were such a strange combination of silly and serious.

Her gaze slid to her bow and quiver. The mud had dried into the gaps and openings. She should have cleaned it as soon as she'd gotten here, but she'd been too busy. It would make for an irritating mess to clean later, but here was likely the wrong place to start on such a task. She laughed a little, thinking about the shock Hisako might have if she left a pile of dirt and dried muck on the floor.

She kicked off her shoes, her thoughts drifting to the bath. It seemed a bit overindulgent to take _two_ baths in one day, but she'd been a bit deprived lately. With a tiny grin, she stripped and made another thorough use of the facilities.

She leaned back with a happy sigh in the hot water, her hair piled on top of her head as she avoided wetting her bandage yet again. She wasn't sure how long she'd need to be careful around it, but hopefully the Reikai medics would be able to figure something out.

So many scans and readings today.

So much new information.

Yet so many secrets, still held carefully at bay. What was Koenma not telling her?

A quiet knock at the entry to her room roused her from a light doze. The bath water had grown chilly. She stood reluctantly, wrapping a towel around herself, and peeked out the peephole in her door. A tray had been left on a cart in the now-empty hallway. She snagged the food and spotted a handwritten note tucked between the lid covering a wide plate and a mug of tea.

_I'll bring breakfast at 8am. I hope you sleep well. Please let us know if you need anything else during your stay. - Koenma_

She took a sip of the hot tea and peered under the lid at the steamed vegetables with a selection of freshly-baked breads.

She got the impression that he must have seen her eat more than a few times to know the things she preferred. _How sweet,_ she thought, popping one of the veggies in her mouth.

A set of generic pajamas had been left hanging in the closet, and she dressed in the quiet solitude the room offered her. She ate a few more of the selections on the tray and spread a bit of sweet jam along a piece of bread, enjoying the sleepy calm.

She hadn't seen anyone else on the floor when Koenma brought her back for the night, and she cast her senses out to find out who might be nearby. Hisako slumbered in the room to her left, her light a subtle familiar hum of purity, diminished with her afterlife but present nonetheless. She idly wondered if she could reach out and boost the girl's power like she'd practiced with Shippo on her arrows and trinkets.

Her thoughts grew dark. It had been so easy to reach out and _take_ while racing ahead of that spell. She couldn't be the only person capable of such a thing. If she'd been on the receiving end of such an action, she'd have been horrified. _It had been an emergency_ , she reminded herself. _It_ _'s in the past and I need to stop beating myself up over what might have been._

A few smudges of unfamiliar grey could be spotted in rooms farther away. Botan's room seemed to be empty. Kagome got the impression that the reaper worked some ridiculous hours.

Two smudges of grey were together in a room just a bit farther down, and Kagome choked on her tea as she realized what they were up to. She pulled back from her prodding and focused on finishing her light meal. _Eight in the morning for breakfast, hmm_? She had no idea what time it was now, but she had every intention of curling under those blankets to drop into some much needed rest, as soon as she could get the emptied tray back out into the hallway.

Keeping the note with her in case someone got curious about the tray, she locked the door and brushed her teeth. She wondered briefly what might happen if Greg somehow managed to break her device. He'd shown he had skills at un-breaking things, but she _wondered_. Would she stay here for a few weeks, and then head home? Home forever, no more time traveling?

She contemplated that. No more excitement in times long past. No more mysteries to discover that she'd had some hand in unraveling or solving.

Only the present. Only today, tomorrow, and whatever might come.

She wasn't sure if she looked forward to a reprieve or dreaded it. How boring might her life be without the possibility of popping into the middle of random troubles?

She washed and dried her face and turned out the lights before sliding into the chilled sheets. She shivered. She longed to have a warm set of arms tucked over her shoulder, a lithe body curled around her own, fluffy tails draped over her waist.

She had been spoiled those last few weeks. When she was at home, she'd never had a chilled night. She sighed heavily. Shippo wasn't _only_ good for keeping her warm at night. She missed his jokes and troublesome meddling. His teasing and prodding, his long looks and careful attentions. He was like the other half of herself she didn't realize she was missing from her life until he wasn't there.

She sighed, then stilled, remembering the real reason he'd been curling around her each night.

She'd been gone for only a handful of days. Each time she had a moment to rest, she was either too worried about watching out for trouble and unable to _really_ sleep, or she'd been so damned exhausted that she'd dropped off into dreamless rest. But now … in a place she felt was about as safe as she might be outside of her shrine, she felt a little too at ease. She hadn't worried about her nightmares since she'd left. There had been no time, no reason, no moment of _nothing_ for nightmares to rear their ugly heads.

In those few short days, she'd seen more terrible things and experienced moments of horror that she didn't relish ever repeating, either out loud or in her dreams. And with a solid chunk of alone time, no one there to wake her from what might occur…

Tonight might be different. She had plenty of time to lie still in her sheets, staring at a blank wall, knowing that nothing here could hurt her. But she could hurt so many with a single slip. Or, she assumed she could. She didn't know. And _here_ seemed like a terrible place to risk finding out.

She pressed her fingers to the wall, feeling the edges of her room with her magic before shutting herself away from everyone else on the floor with a battle-worthy barrier. If the nightmares plagued her tonight with no one to jostle her awake, well… she'd have to see how things turned out.

* * *

The floor glittered with great shards of glass, sparkling but without the beauty inherent in other shining things. Screams echoed around her, and her nose was assaulted by the scent of goodness _burning_. She fled in no particular direction, _just away_ from the angry, crazy thing hot on her heels.

It threatened to do many things if it caught her. Terrible things, things that would leave her as a shell of her former self, bleeding and broken and wishing for the release of death.

It spoke of the hundreds of others it had broken before her, how she would be the next. The next victim, the next conquest, the next snack, the next to suffer.

_If this is hell_ _…_

Well, this was hell.

A memory of a teasing voice slid through her thoughts. People like her went to hell to treat those that deserved the punishments. People like her. There, to punish the badguys.

_People like her._

It leapt at her, claws extended, tongue licking jagged teeth as it rejoiced in the hunt.

She slid to a stop, her bare feet likely shredding against the broken glass littering the floor. She faced the beast with a teary-eyed grin. Perhaps she'd gone mad, but _what the hell_.

Her hands lit with burning fire.

She reached out toward its deadly claws and _screamed_.

She jerked awake to find the furniture around the bed in shambles. Clutching the sheet to her chest, she stared around the debris with a look of chagrin. _Shit_. When the bed suddenly collapsed beneath her, she shouted in surprise before she burst into laughter, tears streaming from her eyes as she buried her face in her hands. _This is not okay._

She wrapped the sheet over her shoulders and went next door, where she could sense Hisako was still sleeping quite peacefully. She pressed her forehead against the door, contemplating knocking before it slid open unexpectedly.

Hisako took one look at her tear-stained face and dragged her inside the room.

"Oh no, Kagome-sama, what's wrong?" she whispered.

Kagome's lip wobbled. "Bad dreams. I might have… um. Broken. The room."

Hisako threw her arms around Kagome just before she burst into tears again. "You want to talk about the dreams, or did you just need some company?"

"Company," she sniffled.

Hisako led her over to a plush couch tucked in a corner. The two of them sat, and Hisako threw a blanket over their legs. The girls curled around each other for a little while, Kagome soaking in the company and closeness that she'd been craving, Hisako quietly squeeing in her head that someone needed her for something other than errands and information.

"What's it like," Kagome whispered, "being dead?"

Hisako shrugged. "Less exciting than being alive. No risk of dying thanks to bad choices. Also, really lame. Fewer bad choices available to make."

Kagome chuckled. "How did you start working for Reikai?"

"I'd seen too much of the magical world, and I knew things were changing. I wasn't ready for reincarnation yet, and I just so happened to have secondhand knowledge of the quest for the jewel."

Kagome laughed. So Koenma hadn't _exactly_ been lying when he said Hisako had told them the story.

"Botan hasn't been back all night. Does she always work like this?"

"She has her phases. She's been in a save-the-world mindset since she was assigned to Yusuke some years ago. She doesn't often come back to her room for the night, anymore."

Kagome played with the edge of the blanket, her tears dried and feeling more like herself. "I'm so sorry to intrude. Shippo usually wakes me from those nightmares before they get bad. I didn't know what would happen."

Hisako shrugged. "I have the space. I don't really need the sleep, but it's nice sometimes to just shut off for a bit."

"But the room…" she murmured.

"It's just stuff. There's more stuff just like it stored in procurement that'll take its place tomorrow. Don't worry."

The next morning, there was a bit of a fuss as Kagome's room was discovered _empty of Kagome_ with nothing but a horrible mess of the room's contents strewn everywhere. It looked like she'd been attacked and kidnapped in the middle of the night.

Hisako pulled open her door, rubbing her eyes at the commotion. "What's going on out here?"

"Kagome's missing!" Jorge wrung his hands in dismay.

Kagome peeked over Hisako's shoulder. "No, I'm not," she said, pulling a brush through her hair. Jorge gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth, fighting back tears of relief.

Hisako stepped out of the room and peered in through Kagome's open door. "Wow, you weren't exaggerating. You really did a number on everything in there."

Jorge righted the nightstand and snorted as it fell apart. "Koenma sent me ahead to see if you were up yet. He's still going through paperwork while breakfast is being prepared. He'll be up here in a few minutes to escort you back to the seventh floor."

"I'm so sorry about the furniture," she murmured, shaking splinters of wood out of her bodysuit and miko garb before folding them away into her pouch. "I'm not sure what happened, but it was definitely my fault."

He nudged a bigger piece of wood out of the way with his foot. "It's alright. Our usual furnishings are made out of cheap stuff that unfortunately breaks easily, but it usually doesn't come up as an issue because most of our visitors are spirits. We should have had this room prepared with different materials. Don't worry, next time you stay the night, you won't have the same problem."

Kagome sighed in relief. "Still, the _mess_."

Jorge waved her concerns away. "We have teams of people that clean up after the most violent training sessions I've ever seen. They have solutions for every type of stain and any size of debris. This mess will be gone before you know it."

* * *

Kagome borrowed another yukata from Hisako, who apparently had an entire closet filled with them in hundreds of colors. "This one is my second-favorite color, so I expect you to return it soon!" Hisako winked with a grin. Of _course_ , she would find a reason to make Kagome come back to see her.

Kagome gave her a brief hug, thankful for the comfort she'd shared over the night.

"You really should come see us more often, Kagome-sama," she said, pulling away as she noticed Koenma coming down the hall toward them.

"Just Kagome." She smiled at Hisako. "You're welcome to visit me on the shrine, too, when you aren't busy." Hisako's eyes grew suspiciously shimmery and her lip trembled. "Oh, oh _no_ , don't cry!"

Hisako burst into tears right as Koenma stopped at their side. "You're remarkably quick at both destroying property and upsetting my employees, Kagome-sama." He grinned at her with a wink.

She rolled her eyes at the demigod's teasing.

Hisako sniffled and held Kagome's hand with both of her own. She had a surprisingly strong grip. "I'll come visit, I promise!"

Kagome picked up her belongings and secured them in place. "Planning on leaving so soon?" Koenma asked with a grin.

She stretched a little and adjusted the strap of her pouch. "I'm beyond excited that I might get to go home this morning. It feels like I've been gone for a month. If Greg has information on how I can send myself home, I might be tempted to just ignore everything else he might have to say and go at that very moment."

He snorted in amusement. Maybe he understood, maybe he didn't, but he didn't say either way. As the two of them walked back toward the elevator, Koenma nudged her with his elbow. "You might be interested in doing a sleep study here with the medical staff. I'm sure they'd like to get some more samples and readings of whatever goes on in that head of yours when you're not in control of yourself."

Kagome laughed and waved a hand, brushing off the deep unease about that idea. "I'm not so sure I'd like to be subjected to that much study right now." _Or ever_. The elevator ride was quiet as they headed back to the seventh floor. The scent of bacon and something sweet drifted up from the large paper bag Koenma carried at his side. "Did you have as much work last night as you'd expected to find?"

He hummed with a shrug. "It's about time I hired more people to help me with some of the paperwork. I've already submitted openings for new positions to the processing department. They'll find me a few new people that are interested in our work."

He palmed the reader and the door slid open. "Greg and Mar spent most of the night playing with your vesper."

"I only broke it twice!" Greg laughed when they entered the room. "We learned a lot of little things about it overnight, but the biggest discovery is something that's _either_ really creepy or really awesome." He paused, ruffling the fur at the back of his skull for a moment as a new thought crossed his mind. "Or really dangerous and we're going to have to incinerate the entire seventh floor before lunchtime."

Koenma narrowed his eyes at this and glanced sideways at Kagome. "Let's hope it's nothing bad, then," he said, placing the bag of breakfast items on the table. "What is this big discovery?"

Greg put the vesper on the table in front of Kagome. "There's something _alive_ in here. I don't know what it is, but we got a few samples. _Whatever it is_ tried to fix the device before I could undo breaking it the first time, so I don't know if this thing will _stay_ broken if you somehow manage to bust it."

"Something _alive_?" Kagome asked, glancing down at the immobile silver surface and wondering if it had a tiny colony of ants that had taken up residence in the mysterious device's innards.

"What do you know about it so far?" Koenma asked, dropping into a seat with a sticky sweet thing that looked more like dessert than a breakfast food.

Greg rummaged around in the bag and extracted a breakfast sandwich with a happy smile before pointing at the device. "It made a weird noise and startled me, so of course I knocked it off the table. The thing shattered into a dozen pieces. Usually no big deal, but when I reached out to fix it, it looked like tiny…" he trailed off. "Like tiny spiders? I only got a brief look. My magic pulled the vesper back together right away and I didn't realize what it was I had seen until after I had it back in my hands. It was a delayed realization because my brain couldn't process the oddity. Mar was with me the second time we broke it, _on purpose_ , and she snagged a few samples in some vials we have over here."

The three stepped over to a table with a magnifying glass aimed at the contents.

"Whatever it is, _or was_ , began killing each other once we'd sealed the containers. Like some kind of murderous self-destruct sequence. I think they're nanobots or something, meant to prevent us from getting our hands on futuristic technology too early. All that's left are the remnant scraps."

"Anything you'll be able to use?" Koenma asked, leaning close to the magnified view of minuscule bits.

Greg shrugged. "It's too early to know, but I doubt it. Even the last one standing managed to pull itself apart. So creepy. I figure, as long as they don't come back to life and try to build anything new, or hopefully we don't have any lingering around in here…" he trailed off, turning his attention to the empty corners where tiny robots might be lurking.

He shook his head and walked back over to the table where the vesper waited.

"Let's talk about what we _could_ figure out." He motioned Kagome take another look at the screen. "So, if you tap that menu again and check out the task list, each of those items is something you can tap on to get a bit more information, but the data is sparse. There are some weird icons that aren't defined in any of the help files. Mar and I _think_ the red ones mean dangerous, and that green thing on this line probably means something safe. You'll need to take notes for us after your first few trips."

She nodded in agreement, glancing at the really unhelpful 'additional information'. Whatever happened to those extensive attachments she'd seen from the first crazy trip that dropped her in the middle of the Reikai meeting? Did she need to _get_ where she was going before she could see the extra information?

That couldn't be completely true, because her accidental trip to the desert had provided no helpful information once she'd arrived. In fact, she wondered if her visit there had been some kind of glitch.

"Here's another section where you can see where you've already been," he pointed to a tiny icon in the corner. "One of the entries in there, _deshret_ , looks like it's buggy. We looked it up in the database. You were _way_ out there that day, weren't you? That explains all the sand that fell out when I busted it the first time." His eyes widened. "Sorry! I'm rambling. I'm really excited about our findings. Look, here's where you can make new entries on your schedule. We think you can just select somewhere you've already been and add a date, and there you go!"

"I can't type in someplace new?" she frowned, looking down at the list of previous locations in concern.

He shook his head. "Sorry, no impromptu visits to the Eiffel Tower for you, I guess."

She rolled her eyes. _I can get home easily if I just select the shrine where I left Tek for that first jump, and pick the appropriate date_.

"There's also a scan function listed in the menu, but the help files don't mention anything about what it is or what it's meant for, and when we tried it, all we got was an unhelpful chime. And here's the contact list…" Greg had a thousand new things to say about the little device, but she was tunnel-visioned on the realization that she could get herself back home, to the right time. Maybe to the hour right after she'd left that first day.

Would her mother be there? Her brother had probably already left for school. Hiei had said he needed to go do something, leaving Shippo there to wait for her return.

She watched as Greg poked at the screen, talking about the troubleshooting menu and the options where she could adjust the notification sounds. "Greg," she said, and he paused to look at her expectantly. Or at least, she thought he was, but it was hard to tell under all that fur. _How does he even see what he_ _'s working on?_ "I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm having trouble paying attention to what you're saying and I feel awful about it. I'm really anxious to get home, and I don't want your efforts to go to waste. Can we reconvene in a few weeks? It'll give you time to poke at your samples and consolidate your notes, and if you think of any new questions or things to check, you can have the vesper back for more time?"

Greg clapped his hands, excited to get his fingers on her device again in the near future. "Of course!"

Koenma laughed, popping a new piece of breakfast into his mouth. "You're that anxious to leave us, are you, Kagome-sama?"

Kagome rolled her eyes again. "Maybe I'm just anxious to get some distance _from you_ ," she muttered, scooping her vesper up.

Greg snorted and turned back to his desk to collect a summary sheet he'd started compiling. He dropped it on a scanner to print a duplicate. "Here. The notes aren't complete, but it'll give you some extra information until we meet again. I look forward to it!"

Koenma pouted. "I'm not really _that bad,_ am I?"

Greg cleared his throat. "I need to refill the coffee water, be back in a minute," he said before fleeing the room.

"I just don't know what to do with you," she said, swiping distractedly through the menu to make herself a new schedule entry to go home.

"I can think of a few things you _should_ do," he said, a grin curving his lips.

She paused mid-swipe and stared up at him, her mouth falling open in surprise. He reached out and pushed her jaw closed with the tip of a finger, but otherwise kept his distance. He sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll try again the next time you arrive unexpectedly in my office. One of these trips, it's bound to strike you that I'm a good fit."

Kagome hummed in thought. "Maybe," she agreed. She had plenty of time ahead of her to consider the possibilities, at least. She had enough reasons to be hesitant about keeping him for a permanent relationship, but maybe another date or two wouldn't hurt.

She found the section she'd been looking for and tapped the entry where she'd met Tek the first time. The shrine, right next to the well. Perfect for coming and going, tucked in the dark recesses of the little well building, the bright light of her arrival hidden from prying eyes.

She typed in the date and time she'd left _plus one hour_. Strange that she couldn't set the schedule according to minutes. (Maybe it was best that she not have such granular control over exactly when she'd arrive.)

Her heart thudding in anticipation in her chest, she glanced at the cooldown timer in the corner. Only a few hours remained for the twenty-four hour safety window. It probably wouldn't hurt to leave a tiny bit earlier than that. She turned her gaze up to Koenma and smiled. "I'm sure we'll see each other again pretty soon."

"Sooner for you, than me," he said, leaning against the table. "You know how to reach me," he winked.

She blushed. "Hopefully I never call you again while you're in the bath," she muttered.

He shrugged and grinned, "I'm sure a repeat wouldn't be as bad as you think."

Kagome stared at him. _Kami, he_ _'s channeling kitsune so hard right now_.

She shook her head and tapped the scheduled trip. "I hope a few weeks is long enough to cool the libido down a tiny bit," she said.

"A few hundred years hasn't been long enough," he smirked. "I'm not getting any younger!"

She tapped the screen faster to bypass the wait time. He laughed as she vanished in a flash of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg is this the moment Kagome finally gets to go home again? We'll see!
> 
> Until next time, happy adventuring!


	27. On Principle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On principle, she's a problem solver. On principle, she's a trouble magnet. On principle, she should have enough time to deal with all of it. Eventually.

She took a deep, appreciative breath of familiar scents before the bright light had cleared from her sight. The traces of dust that they never could quite eradicate, the slightly damp, musty smell from the dark depths of the well, the subtle scent of ancient wooden planks that had been put in place hundreds of years ago.

She felt mentally exhausted as she shrugged off her belongings and sat on the edge of the well, trying and failing to put her thoughts back into some kind of order. It seemed like she was living multiple lives. Different eras, several storylines, and more than a few people vying for her attentions.

It was late morning. She'd left the little darkened well house less than an hour before this moment to help a mysterious person get home again. But instead of a quick trip to the past, she'd fallen down a very long and dark rabbit hole. (Again.)

Her gaze dropped to the wooden floor. _It was too bad_ , she thought, _that Greg had failed to **permanently** break the vesper_. She grinned ruefully, looking down at the shiny silver thing clutched in her hand. In it, she had seen, was a lengthy schedule. People to see, places to visit, mysterious tasks that weren't explicitly stated but somehow she'd stumble on the path she'd been meant to take.

Eventually.

What would happen if she just threw away her little device and abandoned her responsibilities? Would someone else take up the mantle?

Why did it matter that _she_ be the one to do all of this?

Did it even matter that these things be done next week instead of tomorrow? Next year instead of next month?

Action and adventure with no pressing deadlines… she could just go on vacation and those things would still be waiting for her to do, right?

She sighed.

She knew exactly why she wouldn't abandon her list or go on vacation for a decade. She was needed, and her heart seemed to beat solely for the purpose of making everything right. She might spend some time training, learning new skills, or how to better control what she already had, but she'd soon be back on her path.

Her _purpose_.

She turned her attention to door, where a pale sliver of sunlight shone through the gap. What must she do and how much must she fix before she could seek out those things that made life worth living? When would be the right time to be _selfish_?

Leaving her filthy bow and quiver by the well, she walked to the door and slid it open, glancing across the quiet courtyard. She cast out her senses to see who still remained on the shrine grounds.

As she'd expected, her brother was away, probably at class. Her mother must have left to run errands. She spotted her grandfather's energy among his collection, likely dusting old relics. Shippo lounged on the roof of her home, and at the brush of her magic he jolted from his doze and leapt to the ground, nearly stumbling in his haste to greet her.

"You're _back_!" He grinned, but his smile faded as he looked her over with a critical eye. "You don't look like you've been gone for only an hour."

She grimaced and shook her head.

"Is that _blood_?" He leaned closer.

The bandage on her neck must need to be changed. _Again._ "Small wound. Won't stop bleeding." She pressed her hand to the gauze and her fingers came away wet. "A kitsune."

His eyebrows rose as he stared her down, the questions already buzzing through his head. _Another kitsune?_ ‟You seem to attract them lately, like bees to a flower. If you're not more careful, you're gonna get stung," he warned.

‟I think I've already been stung," she grumbled as he ushered her toward the house.

‟Are you hungry?" he asked.

Kagome quirked her lips. ‟Nah, had breakfast this morning, two weeks ago."

Shippo sputtered and pulled on her elbow to peer down into her face. ‟You _what_?"

She chuckled and waved him inside. ‟No, I'm not hungry." She toed off her shoes in the entryway and with a little sigh of relief, she whispered, _I'm home_.

‟Come on. Let's take a look at that _small wound_ before your mama gets back."

She followed him up the stairs, her eyes on her feet and her hand on her neck. So many people had already poked at the damned thing with no success. She was starting to get a little worried about what was actually wrong with her.

He closed the bathroom door behind them and dug the first-aid kit out of her dusty pouch. "Geez, is this _sand?_ " he asked unnecessarily as he withdrew an entire fist of the substance from the pouch. He dropped it back inside and gave her a look.

She sat on the edge of the counter with a lofty sigh, slumping a little. "Yeah. Sand. I need a vacation."

He pulled open the kit and washed his hands with a laugh. "But you just left!" Peeling back the soaked bandage, he leaned forward to examine the cuts. "They're really small. How the heck won't it heal on its own?"

She shrugged.

He huffed a sigh and closed his eyes to focus on her magic. Even a normal human should have been able to seal this small of a wound within minutes.

Her magic pulsed strongly within her, as he expected, but strange traces of a twisting, oily purple circled her injury like ethereal vultures. He hummed in thought. "This is a silly question, but have you tried to purify it?"

She nodded her head. "Had to use my powers several times since it happened. I can't burn that magic away, and something in my hand feels like it's on fire every time I've tried." She held up her fingers for him to see. " _This_ comes and goes. It's so _weird_. Reikai did some scans, too, but they have nothing, yet."

He turned her hand over in his own, examining the strangely colorless tips with his eyes and his senses. There was no trace of the odd magic here in her fingers, just a sense that something wasn't quite right. He chewed his lip in thought. ‟We'll come back to this later." The more pressing concern was the blood oozing sluggishly from a set of tiny nicks along her throat. " _How_ did a kitsune give you this wound?" He tilted her chin back to get a closer look, smirking once he knew she couldn't see him.

"He, ah—" she swallowed. "I let my guard down. He was injured. Um," she glanced to the side, a rapidly growing blush on her cheeks.

He fought to maintain his composure, but couldn't help teasing her _just_ a bit. "Oh _ho_ , it's like that, is it? Well, why didn't you zap him?"

She shrugged. "He felt nice."

 _Oh, she walked right into that one_. He snickered. "I _bet_ he did."

"No, not like that," she huffed. "He seemed nice. He didn't feel like a bad guy, just like a teenager wanting to make out."

"Yeah, but you didn't _want_ to make out, did you? With a stranger?"

"Well, not on _principle_..."

He pressed a hand to his eyes for a moment as though he couldn't believe he was having this conversation with her. He dragged his fingers roughly across his face to wipe away the growing twitch in his eyebrow. "Okay. On _principle_ , you don't want to let a random stranger fuck you." She tried to protest, but he held up a hand. "There's no beating around the bush on this one. That," he circled the tip of his finger around the teeth marks on her neck, ‟is a clear progression from kissing to _all the other stuff._ Even without knowing more of the details, I'm certain that's what he was gearing up to do."

Her mouth fell open, but she didn't argue.

He propped his hand on his hip and smirked. ‟If you'd have let me give you lessons, you'd have known that biting is a sex thing, and that you shouldn't let _just anyone_ do it to you."

She scowled and rolled her eyes.

His lips twitched in amusement. ‟If this one was some back-country kid, he might have even been trying to accomplish some ancient marking ceremony that no one adheres to anymore because it's stupidly barbaric and doesn't do anything special."

She paled, and he waved his hand with a wide grin. ‟It _used_ to be a thing. Ridiculous myths and the ignorance of youth," he sighed. "Now then, on _principle_ , kitsune use suggestion magic to get what they want, and you seem to be highly susceptible to it. So, let's..."

"I think it's worse than that," she interrupted. "I think we have a _problem_."

He picked up a clean square of gauze and pressed it to her neck to mop up the seeping blood. "Is it a bigger problem than _this_?" He swiped the red away and waited to see how quickly it came back. "Funny how you complained you didn't need a first aid kit. It looks like you've already gone through half of its contents." She frowned at him in growing irritation. "Maybe if we used kitsune magic to heal—"

She jerked out of his reach so fast that he nearly fell over backwards. Half of the kit's medical supplies scattered across the counter and bounced to the floor.

"Damnit, Kagome, we already went over this." He rolled his eyes, gathering the material back to the kit. "I wouldn't need to do anything like—"

She was already shaking her head. "No, I mean, I'm not worried about the _way_ you'd do it. That's not it. I think the magic _itself_ is the problem."

He leaned back and put a hand on his hip, tilting his head in confusion. "You're gonna have to explain better than that."

She grimaced. "I think I react badly to it."

"Badly _how_?"

She looked everywhere but at him. "What I mean is that I don't think it's just suggestion magic convincing me I want to _do things_."

 _Gods, it's like pulling teeth to get a straight answer out of this girl_. He sighed and tried to regain his patience. "What makes you think that?"

"Look, there's no way Kurama would have _suggested_ we do _that_ in front of his teammates in the middle of a mission, no matter how sneaky you think he is. I'm sure he was trying to do the right thing. He didn't know who or what I was, then."

He gave her an appraising look, wondering if she was trying to explain away the bad behavior of males she'd met recently. "Maybe. I can't swear that his mind isn't often in the gutter, though. It might have been on accident, like a slip of the mind. Kitsune can get carried away when it comes to pretty things."

"Well, maybe Kurama accidentally suggested to me that kitsune magic was going to lead to sex and _that's_ why I'm so badly affected?"

"No," he shook his head with a sharp frown. ‟The suggestion doesn't stick around permanently. It should fade within a few hours at most. _Please_ give me anything I can work with, here. _What do you mean by badly?"_

She sat back against the wall and shook her head. "Something is very wrong with me," she said, wrapping her arms around her torso.

He closed his eyes for a moment, passing a knuckle over his forehead to smooth the furrows of exasperation that he knew were sneaking through his normally good humor. "Maybe this other one you met did the same thing. It's not too much of a stretch to think that both were interested in having sex with you."

She slumped in defeat. "Maybe." She frowned. "You really think your magic might heal the wound? Reikai tried everything they had at their disposal."

He shrugged. "It's fixed your troubles before."

"Maybe you should try it, then. But if you're going to suggest anything, think of something that's not fun, and _definitely not sexy_."

He laughed. "Okay, ready?"

She pressed her lips together and shook her head, feeling nervous and worried. She hoped she was wrong.

Kurama's magic had felt nice. _Too nice_. She didn't know him very well, but she couldn't believe he would have done such a horrendous thing like try to convince her to have sex with him in the Makai in front of everyone. He'd pulled away before it had gotten much farther than a kiss, but …what if he hadn't stopped?

And then _Seth_ … she'd blacked out entirely. She had to guess that her device must have broken his concentration. Had whatever was weird with her gotten worse?

She watched his hand approach her neck with no small measure of trepidation, but she trusted him. He liked to tease and play, but he'd made it very clear that he would never harm her. She could curl in his lap and cry her worries away, safe in the knowledge that he was there for her, a warmth at her back with fluffy tails, dirty stories, and happy memories. She could sleep in his arms every night without thinking once that she might be taken advantage of. He hadn't even tried to _kiss_ her. But yet, she couldn't help the tiny flicker of doubt that something might _happen_ unexpectedly.

He narrowed his eyes and chewed his lip in concentration as his thumb brushed gently across the broken skin.

A sense of dread swept through her, like she'd forgotten to work on an essay that was due the next day. She marginally relaxed, thinking, ' _Oh, this isn't too bad—'_

Shippo watched with careful eyes as the magic clinging to the wound fought against his efforts, but it didn't put up much of a struggle before it slid away from her broken skin, hiding elsewhere as the bleeding came to a stop.

 _Strange_ , considering how long she said it had been plaguing her.

 _Really strange_ that the Reikai had made all those efforts with no results.

 _Suspicious_ that the magic hid instead of fighting him off.

He glanced up and was startled by the shift in her expression: dilated eyes, half-lidded gaze, the bright flush spreading across her cheeks. "Kagome?" He shifted backward in alarm as she slid off the edge of the counter, her lips parted on a soft gasp. He quickly pulled his hand away from her neck, but she caught his sleeve and followed as he backed into the corner of the bathroom, stuck between her and the wall.

He swallowed nervously as she leaned into his space, his gaze flicking briefly from her eyes to follow the tip of her tongue as it slid along her lower lip.

A hand snuck under his shirt, and he choked off a giggle as her fingertips tickled up his ribcage. Her other hand snagged the front of his shirt as she tried to pull herself closer. He could tell she wanted to kiss him, but she was too short to reach his face.

Under _any other_ circumstances, he'd have loved to play with this female and teach her everything he'd ever learned, but she hadn't _asked_ him to seduce her. She believed something was wrong, and she'd hoped he could prove otherwise.

He put one of his hands on her shoulder to keep her from getting too close. ‟Kagome," he said, tapping a fingertip against her forehead. Her gaze riveted to his lips, she made a pleading noise that raised a bunch of red flags. _This_ wasn't like her, under any condition. He sighed and covered her eyes with his hand, wondering if whatever was wrong with her might be affected by what she could see.

She pressed herself against his hands and slid fingers around his neck to tug insistently, trying to get him to bend to her height. He sifted through her magic, looking for anything obvious that might explain her strange loss of control. She wasn't possessed. Her energy felt normal. He watched her mindless struggle against his immobile stance, feeling a little bad for her odd plight. He wondered if he should try to use his magic to convince her to sleep, that maybe being unconscious might override this behavior.

 _Bad idea._ If a little brush made her mindless for a kiss, he couldn't picture how much worse she could get.

He sighed and considered giving in. What harm could there be in a single kiss? He brushed his fingers through her hair with a small smile, weighing his options and considering the risks.

With a tiny frown of regret, he stared down at his favorite person, her eyes still hidden behind his hand. He couldn't cross that line and betray her trust. Regardless of how either of them felt about it, maybe whatever affected her could be looking for additional victims. Some of the most common modern afflictions passed through transfer of saliva or blood, and if there wasn't anything obvious wrong with her magic, maybe it was something more easily explained.

‟Brain parasite," he muttered with a chuckle, thinking about how bad this could end up being. She suddenly stiffened against him.

He peeked under his hand at her expression. "Okay, I believe you," he said, doing his best to hold back his amusement. ‟There's _definitely_ a problem."

She stared up at him in shock and confusion. "Wh-why am I…" she stammered, looking at her hands like they'd betrayed her. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She yanked her hand out of his shirt and tried to pull away, but he caught her arm before she could go far.

He tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere by laughing it off. "It's alright. No damage done, unless you count my wounded pride."

She pressed her hands to her face, mortified.

He smirked. "Look, I know I'm appealing, but you've gotta learn to control your reactions. You can't just go jumping my bones because some magic tweaked you the wrong way."

She gasped and punched him in the chest. "I didn't do that on purpose!"

He laughed, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him. "Your punches are still pathetic! When was the last time you did any strength training?"

She sighed and folded her arms, looking away from him. "There hasn't been much time for that, believe it or not." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. ‟I blacked out again. The last thing I remember was feeling like I'd forgotten something important and then I woke up _like that_. Do you have any idea what's wrong with me?"

He shook his head, thinking. "This is _definitely_ a new thing. I've never _scared_ a girl into wanting me before. Are you saying you blacked out the last time this happened, too? Are you sure it's just suggestion magic causing that reaction?" He pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Maybe you're just weird."

She gasped in mock outrage. " _You're_ weird." She knelt to pick up a roll of gauze that had tumbled under the sink. ‟Anyways, after my first blackout, I experienced Baikal's water magic and Sesshoumaru's battle… energy… or whatever it is. Neither of those did anything to me."

He frowned in thought. ‟Did they use that magic _on_ you?"

She shook her head. ‟It was more like feeling it in action. I'm not sure what other kinds of magic we could test with that aren't offensive in nature." She bit her lip. "When did you learn how to use your magic to _suggest_ things?"

He shrugged. "I might have unintentionally done it when I was young, but I didn't learn how to actively use it until years after you left."

She frowned. "I was hoping you had old stories of using it to get your way to prove that it didn't do anything weird to me back then."

"Maybe it was in use and I just didn't know I was doing it." He snickered. "Might explain a _few_ things though."

She rolled her eyes. "No, you were just unbearably cute and I wanted to keep you happy."

"I guess we both have that problem. You are also unbearably cute and I want to keep you happy." He reached out to brush fingertips through her bangs. "Your wound has stopped bleeding," he observed.

She smiled in relief. "That's great. Telling Mama I'd need to replace the kit's entire collection of gauze because of _one_ injury was going to raise some questions."

He looked her over with a critical eye and picked up her hand, holding up the greyed fingertips between them so they both could see. "Your reaction isn't the only thing wrong with you, though. I don't know what it is. We might need to ask someone with more knowledge."

She smiled brightly. "Someone from the community?"

He laughed. "Yeah."

"Oh my gosh, I have so many stories about stuff that happened!"

He nodded with a chuckle. "Okay, okay. You can tell me all about it just as soon as I make a call." He nudged her out of the way so he could escape the bathroom.

She turned to put away the rest of the first aid kit, then joined him in her room. She stretched out in the middle of her floor with a relieved sigh, gently brushing her fingers against the still-tender marks.

Shippo flopped backwards next to her with his phone in hand, flicking through contacts too fast for her to follow. Kagome rolled over onto her stomach and propped her head on her hands as she heard the other end ring, curious who he might be calling.

"Hey, so I'm sure you've heard— "

He frowned as a voice on the other end cut him off. Sitting up in concern, he continued, "Wait, what? I didn't even have the chance to ask—"

His mouth fell open at whatever the speaker on the other end of the line said, and he briefly glanced down at her with furrowed brows. "But I'm _looking_ at—"

He pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it in disbelief. "He hung up on me!" He growled in irritation. "Of all the _idiotic_ …" he muttered.

He flicked through his contact list again and tapped another name before folding his arm across his chest. "Hey-" he paused. "Yeah, I know, it's been a-"

The voice cut him off and he gave Kagome an exasperated look. He put his hand over the end of the small device to whisper at her, "No one is letting me get a word in edgewise!"

Kagome held a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggle.

He grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm listening. I don't know anything about—" He stopped to listen, his head tilted with growing alarm.

"But I just called him, and he told me to _not_ come back."

Kagome clearly heard the screeched ' _What?!_ ' and winced in sympathy.

Shippo listened for a moment longer and sighed. "Alright," he replied. "Be careful." He held his phone in his lap, staring at it in confusion. "Something's going on. Something big."

"What do you mean? Who did you call?"

"I called Sesshoumaru and another friend of mine. Everyone has been summoned to come back to the community, but I'm supposed to stay here, I think. We _might_ be on our own." He looked at her in curiosity. "I wonder if this is all connected. What happened while you were away?"

She dropped her head onto her arms with a tiny groan before peeking at him. "Let's go outside so I can start on cleaning my stuff. It's a long story."

"Psh, you were gone for an _hour_. How long can the story possibly be?" He stood and offered a hand to help her up.

She snorted as he pulled her to her feet. "I'll let you do the math when I'm done talking, but we can _start_ by estimating anywhere between four days and a month."

"Holy fuck, Kagome, how much shit did you break?"

She propped her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "I left you unattended for an _hour_ , and _this_ is what happens to your language? Do not make me go fetch the soap."

He grumbled ahead of her down the stairs and she did her best to hold back a chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol, the other half of those phone calls will be revisited later on. :)


	28. The Pair (of...Zombies?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a second set of eyes can put things into perspective. (Or y'know, suggest alternative uses for devices that quickly degrade into gutter-thoughts)

"So, according to Tek," Kagome began, placing her shiny silver device on the table in front of her, "this is called a vesper." She snorted. "An _old_ model, he said. This is one of Reikai's newest prototypes, developed just a few days before the thing with Goshinboku happened in Makai." 

Shippo curiously poked at its surface, idly tapping at items on the screen as she continued. "They had _things_ to say when I told them Tek had given it an upgrade while I was in the past."

Shippo snickered. "I can just imagine how well _that_ went."

She shrugged. "Greg, that's one of the research guys working for Reikai, he was a little weird when he found out, but then he got curious. He'll probably want to borrow it again, now that I'm back home." She pursed her lips and then turned a wide grin in Shippo's direction. "Hmm, that reminds me. _Call Greg,_ " she said.

The vesper buzzed and trilled before a familiar furry face appeared over the screen. Shippo jumped out of his seat with a laugh. "Whoa!" _This is way better than my cellphone,_ he thought with a bit of jealousy.

Greg's voice sounded like he stood right in front of them, and Shippo leaned around the image to peer at the back of his fuzzy head. "Ah! Kagome-sama! I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece. Are you ready for more information, now?"

She shook her head. "Maybe in a few days. Did you want to borrow the vesper again, now that I'm back?"

Greg's holographic image clearly broke into a little jig, his green fur flouncing in his excitement. "Yes, please! I'll see if one of our reapers is available to stop by and pick it up. Will the next hour be too soon?"

"Shippo, Hiei will be back in a few days, right?"

He nodded, staring down in wonder at the crystal clear image. He waved his hand through the projection, watching closely as the light _barely_ fizzled around his skin. _I'd say it's magic, but we're learning that a lot of this junk is just technology beyond our wildest dreams._

"That should be fine. We can call you on other Reikai communicators, right?"

He nodded in response, writing something on his notebook. "Yes ma'am. I should be available most hours." He tapped something on a screen just out of view. "I see your current location. If we need to bring it back early, is this where it should be returned?"

Kagome nodded, smiling widely.

"Great! Talk to you later, Kagome-sama. Thank you again!" His face vanished with a swirl of sparkles, and Shippo blew a tiny puff of air at the floating remnants, interested in the physical manifestation of whatever had previously displayed Greg's image.

‟Ugh, I really need to figure out how they're disconnecting those calls," she muttered, lifting up the top of the device to peer closely at the tiny icons on the screen.

‟I want one of these," Shippo whined plaintively. ‟Can I borrow it? Oh my gosh, phone sex would take on a _whole new meaning_."

Kagome gasped and snatched the device from the table, elbowing him roughly. ‟No, you may not!"

He pouted and gave her the most _begging_ look he'd ever unleashed on her, complete with shimmering, tear-filled eyes. She pressed her hand against his face and rolled her eyes skyward, praying for patience with troublesome kitsune.

He laughed and nipped her hand with his teeth, rolling out of the way of her follow-up elbow. ‟Fine, _fine_. I'll just go bother your friend Greg about getting a duplicate made." She wasn't going to dissuade him from that idea, even though she was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to do such a thing for a _long_ time.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and settled back down next to her, peering over her shoulder at the silver thing in her fingers as she talked about her first encounter with the strange little human.

‟So, aside from bad-assed phone calls, what else do those upgrades do?"

She shrugged, tucking the vesper back in a pocket before picking up her equipment to poke at the accumulated filth. ‟The only one I know about is a schedule that lets me pick my next destination, and transports me there with some incredibly bright light. Greg said they found other new functions but they aren't sure what they do or how they work yet. And even stranger, it does extra stuff when _I'm_ the one pressing the buttons."

"So, Tek traded this upgrade to get the energy he needed to get home." He tapped his lip, deep in thought as Kagome scrubbed a small brush into the grooves of her quiver. ‟Odd. An impossible accident dropped him in the distant past, stuck with a device that couldn't get him home until he'd met the right person. If things happen the way they're supposed to, I wonder why it put him thirty years before you could show up?"

She rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead, leaving a smudge of brown over her brow. ‟I bet he had adventures to tackle, too," she grinned.

Shippo hummed in thought. ‟Probably. That human was _so strange_." He sighed and wiped the dirt off her face with the edge of his sleeve. ‟Even after all this time, I will never forget the oddity of his existence. It took us a few years to figure out how to translate his notebook, but once we did, we discovered it was a journal written in some weird combination of at least _three_ languages describing how he'd used his knowledge of time over the decades to escape detection and find people to help support his efforts." 

She set down the brush and blew a cloud of dust away from the leather. ‟How is that even possible? I thought we couldn't affect time like that."

He chuckled and shrugged, sifting through her stack of arrows to look for any that needed repair. ‟It read something like he just plucked people out of the path of death, and we guess he got away with it because those people were _assumed dead_ , and he'd saved them in such a way that no one could be sure one way or another. It was _brilliant_."

She gave him a long look. ‟Maybe the things he did in the past to _pluck them to safety_ were people that had been meant to be saved all along, and the fact that he did it was meant to be in the timeline. There's something I did… that I feel like maybe I shouldn't have done, but it was meant to happen the way it did."

He glanced up at the tone in her voice and saw the shadows fall across her expression. _Shit, that's a terrible look._ He dropped a warm hand over hers, returning her gaze with an even stare and a half-grin. ‟We all do things we later regret. No one can be perfect and make the best decisions every time." He glanced around and leaned close to whisper _very quietly_ , ‟Even Sesshoumaru has made a few miscalculations."

She needed a good distraction, so he nudged a little pot of wax in her direction as he picked up an arrow in need of new fletching. ‟I'll put in a request for you to see that book of his along with our translations. There's a couple of references in there that we thought might be talking about you, but we didn't have enough information at the time." He noticed she'd gotten another smudge on her face and chuckled. ‟Reading a journal from a futuristic person reminded me strongly of you. He complained on every other page about the troubles of _walking_. And the lack of cleansing tubes, whatever those are."

Kagome laughed, her eyes on her bowstring as she rubbed wax into its length. "Look, I eventually stopped complaining about walking everywhere, didn't I? And that other thing is probably just a shower. It's the only thing I truly miss when I'm gone."

Shippo twitched in dismay, feeling profoundly left out of that statement. He leaned into her side with a tiny grin. "The _only_ thing you miss?"

She sighed in exasperation and smiled. "One of the only things I miss. I missed a few other things, too."

He propped his head on his palm and fluttered his eyelashes at her. "Like what?"

She eyed him briefly before turning her attention back to her gear. ‟Oh, Mama's cooking. Grandpa's dumb stories. My brother's love of electronics. I bet he would have understood most of the stuff Tek and Greg tried telling me about."

Shippo scooted closer, nudging into her space with his hip and shoulder, peering up at her with such a neglected-puppy expression that she couldn't help the giggle that erupted. ‟Oh my gosh, I missed you, too." She peeked at him and added on, ‟My nightmares _destroyed_ the last room I tried sleeping in," she muttered.

Shippo's eyebrows disappeared beneath his bangs.

‟And it was _cold_ ," she added with a frown.

He laughed and leaned against her. ‟Well, until you leave again, I promise you'll have me to cuddle with every night." 

Kagome set down her bow and stared briefly at her palm. "Something strange happened when I gave Tek that energy. It hasn't happened with anyone else I've touched, and after hearing Greg's story about the _things_ in my vesper…"

"Things?"

She nodded, looking pensive as she turned her hand over, peering closely at her skin. ‟He said they found something inside the vesper the first time he broke it. He wasn't sure what it was, then, but he thinks they're… some kind of…" she had forgotten the word. "Some kind of miniature robots that destroyed each other."

A memory clicked. He'd seen something similarly strange with that note Tek had left for them to find forever ago. The sight had been so unsettling that it had given him recurring nightmares for weeks.

"Like tiny spiders?" Shippo suggested.

"Yeah, that's kind of what it sounded like he was trying to say. They pulled each other apart. Anyways, those weren't built in the vesper to begin with. It's a new addition, probably from something Tek did. And when I touched him to give him the energy…" she shuddered, staring at her palm again. "I had the weirdest feeling, like tiny things tickling my skin and crawling up my arm. I _really_ hope the two things aren't related. The idea that I might have had those tiny spiders on me…"

He took her hand in his, staring carefully at her unblemished skin. He brushed his thumb up the thin skin of her wrist, feeling the gentle thrum of her pulse. He took her other hand and examined the grey tint along her fingertips, noting it had spread to her knuckles. "And when did this start happening?"

"Sometime after I got back from the desert."

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, we're really out of order right now. Go back to the time by the well, do you remember anything else?"

‟Yeah… whatever weird happened with my hand and that static burst…" she trailed off, her hand pressed to her chest in remembrance. ‟That was _before_ he upgraded the vesper."

He leaned toward her. ‟Are you okay? Aside from this weird magic bothering you and the funky fingers… Has something changed?"

She glanced at him and grinned. ‟Yeah. But we aren't to that part of the story, yet!"

He laughed and ruffled her hair, helping her put away her arrows.

She glanced over at him, not wanting to say the words on her mind, but knowing they were true. ‟You know, you were right."

‟I usually am."

It was too much effort to roll her eyes at such a blatantly ridiculous statement. ‟The first place I went after meeting Tek was the Reikai. Some meeting about that great war. I'm sorry. You were right. I was dropped in the middle of negotiations with no idea what the heck was going on, and I felt like such an idiot asking why there was a war in the first place."

Shippo pressed his lips together and shook with the effort of holding back his laughter.

She scowled at him and refused to say another word until he stopped being so amused. ‟It's stupid and crazy but… I knew the way things would eventually turn out." She placed her bow on the table, her fingers stroking down the wooden length. ‟It was my suggestion to separate the realms," she whispered, staring at the weapon but not really seeing it anymore.

Shippo's fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding warm and firm. ‟And they just… let you pop in to what must have been a top-secret meeting and make crazy suggestions like that?"

She shrugged.

‟Jeez, having that many leaders in one room at once must have been any terrorist's _dream target_. I'm surprised you weren't killed on the spot!"

‟It was my first trip, and it's so _blinding_! If someone had really wanted to take me out, I would have been toast. Every time I jump I can't see a damned thing for what feels like a solid minute."

He hummed in thought. ‟That sounds like a big problem. We should work on that."

After the last of her equipment was tucked away and hung in the well house, Shippo flinched and peered over his shoulder at something she hadn't immediately noticed. ‟Kagome-sama?" A young girl she hadn't met before stood some distance away by the great god tree. ‟Gregory-sama sent me to collect something from you," she murmured with a small bow.

‟Oh!" Kagome stood quickly and hurried toward her.

The girl stared up at her in surprise. ‟You're the…"

Kagome laughed. ‟The lady on the wall? I've heard that a few times. Here you go," she held out the vesper for the reaper to take.

She seemed afraid to touch it, and instead held out a small fabric pouch for Kagome to drop the device into. ‟Thank you, Kagome-sama. We'll return it soon."

Kagome waved her off. ‟It's fine. I'm in no rush." She tucked her arms behind her back and watched as the girl swung a wooden oar in a circle to summon a glowing portal and stepped through into the other realm.

‟They're so _weird_ ," Shippo muttered over her shoulder.

‟Who, the reapers?"

‟Everyone in Reikai," he said. ‟Lady on the wall?" he asked, looking down at her for clarification.

She shrugged. ‟No idea about that one yet, but I've heard it's a _funny story._ " She pursed her lips with a little frown.

‟Probably funny at your expense," he smirked.

Aiko came home a short while later with a paper bag of groceries. ‟Kagome! You're home already? Welcome back!"

Kagome clung to her mother for a long, telling moment. ‟I'm glad to be home," she murmured into her shoulder. 

Aiko patted her daughter on the back with an understanding smile. ‟Come help in the kitchen. Keep the hands busy to free your mind from its troubles."

Kagome chuckled and dragged a playfully whining Shippo along to be productive with the vegetables.

Scraping radish into a bowl, she offhandedly mentioned, ‟Baikal's magic nearly drowned us all during our first chat." She plucked the next vegetable from the stack her mother had assigned to them while she waited for Shippo's reaction.

Shippo's knife stilled over the cutting board and his mouth fell open. ‟You _met_ Baikal Khan?"

‟Mmmhm," she smiled serenely, her knife sliding easily through the cabbage.

‟Who _else_ did you meet there?" His eyes narrowed as he resumed chopping, only paying partial attention to the items on his cutting board.

‟I met a lot of people there, but I was kept out of sight for much of my visit. Kiapo is the only other name I remember."

Shippo cringed. Kiapo knew all of Shippo's best _and worst_ stories. When she leaned over and whispered, ‟I heard about the lost bear," his head fell. _I'm going to strangle Kiapo the next time I see him._

‟That must have been quite an _adventure_ ," she teased.

‟I could _demonstrate_ how much of an adventure it was," he muttered under his breath. Her mother was across the kitchen, checking on the rice cooker.

Kagome turned pink and laughed. ‟I was kidding, sorry. I really didn't want to hear any of his stories, but I think Kiapo had a bit too much _juice_ by that point. I heard a lot of strange stories that evening." She put down her knife and pointed at him with a gasp. Dropping her voice to a small whisper, she asked, ‟Did you _know_ that youkai are meant to end up in heaven and people like me are meant for _hell?"_

He narrowed his eyes at her. ‟What kind of nonsense is that? No one except the bad dudes should be meant for a place like hell."

She shrugged. ‟I saw it firsthand. It's… something else." She paused, glancing at her mother warily. ‟That's something to discuss later."

Her grandfather meandered in and snagged a sliced radish from the bowl. ‟Delicious work, as always!" he proclaimed, patting her on the shoulder.

‟Grandpa, we haven't cooked yet."

He chuckled and walked away, muttering something about ancient scrolls and pickled fish.

‟So then, when we were about to get Koenma set up with his magic, something weird happened. My _seal_ dissolved."

Kagome's mother had shooed them out of the kitchen and they sat on the couch with cups of tea. ‟So?" he said, wedging himself more comfortably between her and a cushion. ‟You just have to apply a new one."

‟Yeah that's what I thought, so I went rummaging to get the next one, bumped my device on accident, and got dropped in the middle of the desert."

 _Ah. Explains why she had so much sand in her stuff._ ‟That's pretty cool."

She glared. ‟It was as far from cool as it gets. If it weren't for that outfit I'd have been miserable!"

He laughed and ruffled her hair. ‟See, I know best. What time did you travel to?"

‟The vesper was broken or something. It didn't _say_."

‟Well, what were some of the clues? Anything recognizable?"

‟I saw something that looked like an Egyptian temple, except instead of old, colorless relics, everything looked kind of _new_."

He noticed her absently rubbing her neck. ‟Is this where you met _Mister Nice-and-Bitey_?"

‟Yeah. Also met his dad." She stroked fingertips over the center of her forehead, looking pensive. ‟He was kind of scary. Koenma thinks I died."

Shippo stilled and stared at her. _That was quite a leap from scary dad to **dead**._ ‟And what do you think happened?"

She met his eyes and didn't say a word. He read the haunted look there— _like a book_ , he'd teased so recently. He put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his side. ‟Well, look at us. A pair of zombies. Have you started hungering for brains, too?"

‟Thankfully, no. I don't think Mama has any recipes for brains."

He chuckled, and they sipped their tea for a moment longer in silence, their thoughts drifting around death and life.

‟Oh! The more important part about the seal dissolving…" She glanced around with her eyes and senses before she leaned closer to whisper. ‟My _time_ broke."

He looked at her for a long minute, trying to figure out what she meant by such a cryptic statement. ‟Are you going to elaborate on that?"

She shook her head. ‟I'll have to show you later. It's easier to show than it is to tell. But I have to wear a seal all the time now, otherwise it _breaks_."

‟And this happened before you met Mister Bitey?"

‟ _Seth_ ," she corrected. ‟But yes, before I met him."

‟So your time breaking and the weird magic around your wound are unrelated."

‟And the blackout thing that happened with Seth's magic… that was before he bit me, too."

He suddenly laughed. ‟Okay, if you were running around in some ancient city and bumped into a kitsune teen that wanted to keep you, it totally stands to reason that he…"

‟But I only had two cuts, right?" She interrupted, unexpectedly jamming her fingers between his lips to peer at his teeth. He let her poke around with a quirked eyebrow. ‟If _you_ were to try biting me, right now, wouldn't I get four marks?" She pulled her fingers from his mouth with an expectant look.

He tilted his head, thinking back to the last time he bit someone. (It had been a long time.) ‟Okay, that's true." He shrugged. ‟Maybe it _was_ accidental." He leaned back and winked at her. ‟We _can_ get carried away when it comes to pretty things."

Aiko called for her daughter to help with something in the kitchen. Shippo stayed in the living room, turning his cup around in his hands as he thought. _An **upgrade** … Did Tek do something more than just tweak her device?_ They'd already witnessed several oddities, thanks to technology outside of their understanding. He wondered if there was a connection between those weird self-destructing robots in her device and the sensation she'd described the first time she'd touched that strange human from the future.

But _why_? Why would someone from the future gift her something so powerful like _time travel_?

He glanced out the living room window, where the deep blue twilight of evening encroached. The well was nearby, just out of sight. Maybe _upgrade_ was accurate for more than just her vesper, and she hadn't been given anything new. Time and magic had always been part of her life. Perhaps these _"new"_ things were actually old things that had just grown up, like she had.

She returned after a few minutes and plopped onto the couch next to him, one of her brother's history books tucked under her arm. He glanced over at her as she sipped from her cup and flipped through pages, his eyes tracing her features for any noticeable change. Wouldn't it be hilariously awful if she'd gotten both a "new power" and a "new weakness" due to this _growing up?_

He stifled a giggle. _Kisses are her Achilles' heel._

‟Here, I saw things that looked like these," she pointed at an image of a weathered statue at the entrance to the crumbled ruins of temple.

His eyebrows disappeared beneath his bangs as he skimmed the entry. _Holy shit, **ancient**._

After dinner that night, the two of them made their way out to the courtyard for a brief round of stretches and exercise. ‟So you suggested the split, but did you help? I was there, paying attention on that night. Coulda sworn it felt _familiar_ , but I'd have never guessed you had a hand in any of that."

Eyes closed, she lifted her arms above her head in a slow movement, feeling the pleasant tingle along her shoulders as the muscles stretched. ‟Yeah. I helped. I made a circle with Baikal and Sesshoumaru." She reached for her toes with a long exhale. ‟We didn't have time to plan or think, so it ended up happening _without_ my seal."

Shippo gave a low whistle. He'd been in two circle attempts so far, and both had been with her seal applied. It had been a very _intimate_ sensation. Through the connection, he'd been able to feel their thoughts and emotions, and practically roll in the powers that belonged to the others. He wasn't sure how much more pronounced that effect would be without the seal blocking the magic of the jewel, and to experience _that_ with either of the two community leaders? He couldn't fathom ever knowing so much about those two youkai. He felt a chill as he looked at her.

‟So, Sess knew about the circle because he'd been in one," he muttered. ‟I'm pretty amazed that they all kept it a secret from me."

‟Kept what a secret?"

‟You being around."

‟We just kept missing each other," she laughed. ‟By seconds, in one particular instance."

He sighed heavily, flicking his hand to loosen his wrist. ‟It's probably for the best that I didn't find you before this year. I might've done something rash, like kidnap you."

She laughed. ‟Wouldn't be the first time."

‟Knowing you, it probably wouldn't be the last, either." He turned to her with a smirk and dropped into a stance. ‟Ready?"

‟Hey, I thought we were just going to stretch and do some _light_ stuff-‟

He flew at her with a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Shippo so, so much. Review if you agree! ;)


	29. A Bad Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shippo thinks Kagome's problem could potentially be a bad one, so efforts are made to figure out how to deal with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad. Apparently nobody loves Shippo as much as I do. Oh well! so uh, things definitely start getting spicier from here on out. :)

They lounged in the middle of the courtyard that evening, worn out from Shippo's impromptu _strength building_ exercise. She was sore from calves to shoulders. Rolling into a stretch to work out a pain along her back, she glanced at him sitting nearby, cross-legged as he plucked debris from one of his tails.

‟This thing with the bad reaction to that magic… There's gotta be some way to tone it down. Fight it off, learn how to control the reaction, you know? It can't be just a total weakness, right?"

He flicked the tail and leaned back, folding his hands behind his head as he stared up at the cloudless night sky. ‟Maybe. Or in exchange for your new great time-travel power you've gotta have a balancing _shit_ weakness to make you somehow beatable."

She rolled her eyes. ‟Oh yeah, because the badguys will all be pretty males trying to coerce me into bed."

He was quiet for a while as his brain jumped between possibilities. Tiny bits of magic. Moments of her madness. He could easily keep her at bay if the next attempts all ended up like the last time, but he couldn't count on things being that simple. As soon as you started assuming things would be easy, everything devolved into chaos.

_Plan for the worst._

‟I think we can try a few things, but..." He rolled onto his side and peered at her with a thoughtful frown.

‟But?"

He blew out a heavy breath between pursed lips. "I bet it's gonna get weird."

"I feel like I don't really want to know, but how do you mean weird? You're just going to…" she trailed off.

"Well, yeah. I can just ping you with some magic to help you build up tolerance, or at least learn how to keep your head _under the influence_. But…" he laughed and sat up. ‟I can't imagine how many times I'm going to end up jumping out of a window to escape or waiting on the roof for you to come back to your senses. And what if you tried to _follow_ me out the window because you've gone mindless-crazy to get kisses?" He mimed her swan-diving from a high place to splat on the courtyard stones.

She winced. ‟Good point," she muttered.

He shook a finger at her. "I try to protect you from everything I can, but I can't be held responsible for your actions!" He coughed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from her with a short laugh. "Yeah, this is gonna get weird."

She bit her lip, feeling awful that fixing her problem might make things weird between them. Maybe she shouldn't have even brought it up. If he felt so awkward about it, she could probably ask someone who might not mind so much. "Maybe I can… ask Kurama?" she murmured, staring down at her fingers as she tried to smooth down a chip in one of her nails.

"No!" he immediately protested, reaching out for her fingers. "I mean, yes. But, _not yet_. Kami, this is gonna be a mess." He shaved the chip smooth with the edge of his claw and brushed it off with his thumb. He smirked at her. "Look, we'll need to plan this kinda carefully, but I should probably try helping you first. It'll be okay."

She tilted her head. ‟You're thinking we'll need to bring in others?"

‟Eventually." He shook his head. ‟But before any of that, we probably need to decide who is gonna chaperone."

She stared at him in surprise. ‟You want someone to _watch_?"

He pressed his lips together. "When we did _just a little_ to fix your injury and try to prove you wrong, you…" He paused. ‟You behaved very… out of the ordinary. And I'd never consider myself to be a pushover, but with you…" He turned his eyes skyward, unable to look at her.

"Yeah, I need someone with their head on straight to…" He paused again. _Oh for the love of…_ He took a deep breath. _I'm an adult. I've done this a thousand **thousand** times before._ "We're going to need someone with their head on straight, because it's only rational that a pretty girl demanding kisses from me is eventually going to demand in the right way, in a way that I won't remember or care why I shouldn't say yes." He turned to her with a serious expression and added on in a low voice, ‟Unless you really don't care if any practicing we do ends with us fucking, _we need a chaperone_."

She chewed her lip in contemplation. She _did not_ want anyone in the family sitting with them while they tried this. Hiei might be an option, but he said he'd be gone for a few days. "Who would you want to be there?"

He rubbed his hands down his face, hiding his grimace. "No one. You behaving like that is not something I'd want anyone to see. Ever."

"It's that bad?"

He laughed. ‟A bit." He bit his lip and looked at her from the corner of his eye. ‟Actually, it's hilariously bad, _especially_ because you don't know what you're doing." She shoved her hand into his shoulder as he giggled.

He sighed and turned his attention to his claws, nonchalantly inspecting the tips. "I've tried to be real careful where you're involved, Kagome. I absolutely do not want to ruin the friendship with my favorite person just to have some fun. You don't see me like that."

He could see the protest forming and held up a hand. "Humans are weird. I know you love me, but you don't wonder what it would be like to kiss me or how nice it would be to hold me in your arms, not like I've seen you thinking about Hiei."

She _did_ wonder those things about Hiei, she didn't deny it. But she hadn't thought about Shippo like that because they were already so close. There was no mystery about how it would feel to hold him because he held her every night so she could sleep. She hadn't put serious thought into what it might be like to kiss him because he had been so casual and goofy about every interaction, even discussions about possible relationships, that she didn't realize he might actually be interested in her _like that_.

She felt her heart sink as she looked into his eyes, his serious stare out of place on his normally joyful face. Had she misread him, or had he _misread her_?

For him, it wasn't _like that_ , though, was it? He didn't feel like boyfriend material. She didn't think he treated her like girlfriend material. The way he spoke so casually about sex, he didn't view a physical relationship as a declaration of love, a statement of intent to marry, or a claim that meant _mine forever_. She turned her face away from him before he could see the smile creeping over her lips that betrayed her amusement. They'd joked he'd probably roll around with anything, given the chance. (but he had _standards_ , thank you very much)

Was he so careful and casual around her because he was afraid of taking their friendship in a direction that he thought her heart didn't want to go?

Shippo couldn't stand the silence any longer. "I've seen humans go crazy about their partners after getting physical with someone. I don't understand what causes it. If something goes wrong between us, there will be heartbreak, anger, regret, or _worse_." He took her hands in his own and drew her attention back to his earnest expression. "I would rather cling to a platonic relationship for the rest of our lives than ruin what we have with a mistake."

She looked at him with suspicion. "Are you saying the only reason you're worried about this is because I might get crazy over you? What about _you_ getting crazy over _me_?"

He laughed, the somber mood broken. "I've been crazy over you for hundreds of years, and now that I've got you back it's even worse." He slid his fingers through his hair and a chunk of it stayed standing up in a ridiculous direction. "I'm not sure if I want to steal you away to hide somewhere no one else can ever see you again, or if I want to…" he trailed off, unwilling to finish that sentence. "Kagome, I am not keeping you at arm's length because I don't want to play with you, I'm trying to be polite so that you can do what _you want_ in the order that makes sense to your heart."

She reached over to pat his hair back into place. ‟So… what you're saying is that… you're not bothered by the fact that I tried to molest you."

He shrugged and leaned back on his elbows, not looking at her anymore. ‟I offered to teach you stuff. I wouldn't throw that kind of amazing deal at just anyone."

‟You are so full of yourself."

He smirked, flashing the tip a fang. ‟I know."

* * *

‟I think we'll have to approach this on two fronts. First, you're going to have to try to stop being so mindless. Zombie Kagome is not a good look. Second, once you've got your mind back in order, you've gotta want to fight back, so in case someone like Mister Bitey strikes again, you can give him a good zap and send him running home to Mama. _No one_ should be getting into your pants without your express permission."

She nodded slowly. This made perfect sense while she was sitting here being _normal_ , but how the heck would she learn how to say no if it felt _so nice_?

His eyes narrowed as he pointed a clawed fingertip at her nose. ‟Stop. Mind out of gutter. This is not the time to be thinking dirty thoughts."

She turned pink. Of course he could probably _smell_ the shift in her attention.

‟I can help you with the first part, but we'll probably have to find someone else you can practice with for fighting back."

She shifted uncomfortably. ‟Is that the part where I'm supposed to ask Kurama to help?" She tucked her face in her hands, wondering why _the heck_ this issue had become _such an issue_. What did it matter if she went a little kiss-crazy when a kitsune got through her defenses? She swallowed nervously, remembering just how far she'd been willing to go in the heat of the moment. _With a stranger_.

Shippo poked her with his elbow. ‟Earth to Kagome?"

‟What?" She'd missed whatever he'd said.

He leaned against her, dropping his head on her shoulder with a lofty sigh. ‟Jeez, this new weakness of yours has corrupted your brain into something scary. Do you wanna just go knock one out so you can stop thinking about the maybes?"

She turned to stared at him, his face inches from hers, her mouth falling open as she briefly considered it. His eyebrows wagged as he smooched the air between them and grinned. Her mouth snapped shut. ‟I don't ever know when I should take you seriously!" she complained.

‟It's part of my charm," he replied easily. ‟Anyways, I _said_ Kurama is probably a good option to practice fighting back so he learns why he should stop chasing your skirt."

She frowned. ‟I don't think I want to hurt him like that, though. Purification magic is _really_ painful. I thought you said it doesn't hurt you the same way? Why couldn't I practice on you?"

‟Makes me crazy," he reminded her with a shrug.

‟Crazy _how?_ Crazy like me trying to molest you uninvited?"

He pressed his lips together and looked away from her for a moment. "It's… hard to explain. You know how the magic— _that curse—_ changed you, and then I was suddenly able to grow up?"

She nodded, thinking back to how many times he'd grow out of a new set of clothes seemingly overnight. He had been a little kit that had rapidly aged to become a teen of her height within _days_.

"Well, I couldn't figure out what had really happened for all these years, until I was here, while you were little."

Kagome shrugged. "And?"

"And maybe using my magic on you was why things went like they did when you got cursed." He chuckled, sounding a little nervous. "I've been around your magic in various states of potency for a good chunk of my _literally_ formative period. I grew and took from you, and when _you_ were little, I gave something back. Your magic has been weird from day one, because I met you in the present before you met me in the past. Sess has been dogging me about meddling and messing up time, but I'm really serious when I say that whatever crazy happens is probably the way it was meant to be all along, and if it wasn't, then time finds a way to make it right."

Kagome stared at him. "Are you sure I didn't accidentally fry your brains when one of us was little?"

He laughed. "I doubt it. Anyways, you couldn't kill me even if you tried," he taunted, poking her in the side.

She peered down at her nails, a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm glad you're one of the good guys, then, because I'd hate to have to find a more creative way to do you in."

He snickered and threw an arm around her neck to rub his knuckles against her head as she squealed in irritation. "Good luck, little girl."

He hoped she hadn't noticed his careful evasion of her question, but she _definitely had_. They'd have to revisit _why_ later on before they called in someone _else_ for her to be smacking with her magic.

They didn't speak of it again that night. She dropped a fresh seal into place as she put on her pajamas, promising herself she'd show him the broken time thing soon.

The next day was of the _mostly_ usual variety: normal practicing, normal family interactions, normal meals, followed by a less-than-normal evening after everyone headed off for their pre-bedtime routines.

He touched the wall by her door as it shut quietly behind him, dropping a sound-proof barrier in place. Aiko had made clear that the walls were paper-thin and he knew that if she heard even _part_ of what he was about to suggest, _she would happily murder him._

"So, if we aren't going to have someone here to make sure you don't do something while you're out of it," he hesitated, looking at her sideways. "I've come up with a possible solution to keep you from jumping out of a window if I choose to escape from your wandering hands."

She laughed with a blush. ‟You make me sound like I turn into Miroku."

‟Worse. Much worse."

‟Okay, what's your idea?"

He withdrew a pale length of shining rope from a pocket. ‟I can tie you to something heavy so you won't be able to go anywhere."

She considered it. "That might work…" She wasn't really looking forward to working through this strange behavior, but she absolutely couldn't fathom what might happen if she tried to ignore the problem and it happened again when she least expected it. She would try her best to build a tolerance and figure out a way to retain her awareness so she could eventually fight back.

Shippo giggled as he slid the rope around her torso, securing her to her bedpost so she couldn't come after him. "Never thought we'd be trying out bondage _this_ early."

Kagome blushed and choked back a laugh. "Never thought I'd be trying that out _ever_."

"Okay, you should be all set."

She strained forward and nodded her head.

"The ties are out of reach, so I think we can leave your hands and feet free." He nodded, satisfied with his handiwork. "I should be safe enough from your insanity," he laughed. "Ready to try again?"

She took a deep breath and nodded.

He reached out for her ankle with his fingertips, and—

She blinked as her vision returned and the sound came rushing back to banish the bleak silence. She recognized a sharp ache around her ribs and burning pain in her fingers as though she'd struggled _hard_ against the ropes.

Shippo crouched at the opposite end of the room, staring at her with wide eyes. "Kami, I didn't think it was possible, but you seem to have gotten worse."

She blinked at him in confusion. "Worse how?" _What the heck could she have possibly done?_

He shook his head, as though repeating what he'd just witnessed was something he never planned on doing. "Whatever the cause is, this is _bad_. Focus on your power before I try again. Focus on regaining control before you've lost it."

She nodded, licking her dry lips. He swallowed nervously, stretching out to reach for her foot as though he were afraid to get much closer. "Let me know when you're ready?"

He was right. Using her magic to guard her mind helped her stay aware of what she was experiencing, but knowing what was wrong with her didn't make it any less awful. It didn't help dull the intensity of the sudden urge she had to grab hold of him and _do things_. It must have been torture to see her reaching for him, to hear the gasps and moans slipping from her throat. In some dark corner of her mind she was enthralled by the look of desperation on his face as she writhed against the ropes in a futile attempt to break free. She caught his gaze flicking to the window more than once as she whined for him to untie her.

Everything _ached_. It was frightening the intensity of these ridiculous reactions. Her eyes filled with tears. He was _right over there_ and didn't want to help make it go away. Didn't want to let her _loose_ so she could take what she needed.

He watched the tears drip down her face with a look of misery.

She was perfectly aware of what she was doing, yet she didn't give a damn. She didn't care that she was hurting herself to try and break free from the knots he'd tied. She didn't care that she was straining her shoulder in an attempt to reach the fastenings. She didn't care that she left carpet burns on her ankles and wrists as she jerked and twisted. All that mattered was the end goal of reaching the thing she _wanted_.

She could hear nothing but the blood roaring through her ears. Her eyes locked on his lips as they moved and she began to realize he was reminding her to _fight back_.

She flared her magic, imagining she was burning through a possession of an entirely different sort, and she felt the sensation fade in increments.

She gasped and took a deep breath, nodding her head in relief as the pulsing ache in her body faded into a subtle thrum, then vanished.

She sniffled and wiped the wetness from her face, embarrassed with how she'd behaved. "We might need to take a break," she suggested in a low voice. "Try again tomorrow night."

There was an awkward silence as they looked at everything in the room except each other.

"Meditation?" He suggested after a few minutes, daring a peek in her direction.

She met his eyes and her lips curled in growing amusement. "Ropes?"

It was a little strange as he reached around her to untie the knots. His fingers were normally deft and unerringly precise with everything he did, but he fumbled with his grip on the rope twice as he tried to avoid touching her. She snapped her teeth quietly near his ear and he yanked his hands away so fast he nearly knocked her over. "Shippo!" She laughed. ‟I'm not going to bite you. What's wrong with you?"

He chuckled nervously. "Nothing, nothing. But I'm a little worried about what might be wrong _with you_. You're busted enough that you just might actually bite. What if whatever's wrong with you _is contagious_?" His eyes were wide as he openly teased her. ‟Like _kissing rabies_."

‟Does that mean no more nighttime cuddles?" she asked, rubbing a raw spot on her ankle with a frown.

He smirked and nudged her with his elbow. ‟If you can avoid further molestation attempts while we meditate, then sleeping will probably still be safe enough." He picked up her foot and gently turned it so he could examine the angry red marks. ‟Reach for me, hm? Let's see if these heal."

She did without thinking. Their hair poofed and she couldn't help the euphoric giggle that spilled from her lips at the tickling rush of magic. ‟Good as new," he announced, releasing her foot to pat his short hair back into place. Later on, she'd probably wonder why she didn't hesitate, because she didn't know yet how many things could trigger the magic madness.

Pajamas were donned along with a fresh seal. (She was now justly terrified that removing the seal to show him the time thing might end in disaster.)

Meditation was quiet and uneventful. The evening wore on with calm and peace.

Sleeping was quiet and uneventful. A gentle breeze ruffled her curtains as the wind rustled through trees on the shrine.

Waking was quiet and uneventful. Sunlight streamed through her window, lending a soft sparkle to the pale wooden surfaces of her furniture. Her fingers traced along the muscled arm draped across the blanket over her waist. ‟It's very quiet with Hiei gone," she whispered.

‟You'd think an anti-social guy like that would talk less," Shippo muttered.

‟The two of you manage to find something to argue about as soon as I've opened my eyes, you know?"

He snickered softly. ‟We're usually arguing before then. You just can't hear it," he admitted.

She sighed and stretched in bed, rolling over to peek at him in the early morning light. His face was mostly buried in his pillow, with only the tiniest sliver of green visible as he watched her. ‟Another night. No nightmares," he observed.

‟You know," she began, ‟If you like him, you should just tell him so."

‟You know," he rejoined, ‟If you like him, you should…"

She laughed and cut him off by poking him in the side.

‟I'm sorry," she began, rolling over to face him more fully. He lifted his arm for her to curl closer, then dropped the comforting weight back over her waist.

‟What for?" he mumbled, the tiny sliver of his eye closing as he rubbed his face in the pillow.

‟I've been selfish," she replied, tucking her forehead against the ridiculously soft material of the t-shirt he often slept in. ‟You've been my shield every night, and I didn't think that maybe you'd like some shielding of your own."

He made a little sound of dismissal and shrugged. ‟I don't need it. I'm a big boy," his muffled voice crept through his pillow.

‟Mmhm," she replied. She pulled her arm free from her blankets and slid it under the weight of his, her fingers curling against the warmth of his back.

‟That's _different_ ," he said with a little sigh.

Shippo got quieter as the day wore on and evening approached. It was so out of character that Souta asked him if he was feeling sick and Aiko tried plying him with more chamomile tea, a concerned look on her face. ‟I'm fine," he tried waving them off. ‟Just magical problems on my brain."

Kagome felt immensely guilty. It was because of her that he was so uncomfortable and worried.

They meditated quietly in the middle of the living room, combining their magic to boost the barrier and reach throughout the neighborhood, ensuring safety of the residents and banishing any negative energies they encountered. It was a pleasant and calming way to spend time together, and Kagome's mother watched them work with a soft smile.

When they emerged from their session, Aiko had left the room to wash dishes. Shippo eyed the dark stairwell and swallowed nervously. Kagome leaned forward with a quiet whisper. ‟We don't have to practice alone anymore. We can ask Hiei for help when he gets back, or we can…I don't know…take a break from it for a few days. It'll be okay."

He shook his head. ‟I don't think it's safe to just let it go for another time. You've gotta figure it out before something happens." He glanced at her with a rueful grin. ‟The only one you're hurting is yourself."

Kagome watched as he stood and shook his hands to loosen his wrists. Somehow, his statement felt like a total lie.

He joked as she sat back against her bedpost, but his words rang a little hollow. She made sure to not tease him as he tied the knots out of reach. She hoped she would remember this time that she couldn't reach the damned things and should not strain so hard for something she had no hope of untying.

‟Just… don't watch this time," she suggested, already feeling miserable for what was about to happen. He nodded resolutely and waited for her to indicate she was ready to give it a try.

‟Remember, focus. Fight back for your control," he reminded her.

She nodded and firmed her resolve. She'd overcome this madness. She _had_ to.

His magic swept through her and she shivered in response. She wondered how good it would feel if he did it again. _More_ , she said.

Confused, he reached out and swiped his finger along her ankle with another dose of his magic, perhaps thinking that she had already figured out a way to overcome her loss of control.

 _Again_ , she said, shuddering in pleasure when he did as she asked. He realized in that moment that she'd _not_ regained her control, and he'd just triple-dosed her with the magic that made her crazy.

She remembered the knots were out of reach, but he responded to her requests well enough, so she _requested_ and _demanded_ and told him the things she felt, the things he should do, how he should untie her, or _even better, leave her tied_ …

Later, she'd be incredibly thankful that he'd had the foresight to use another sound-proof tweak on the barrier around her room, because if her family had heard even the smallest portion of the complaints and demands that fell from her lips, Shippo would have been banned for life and she might have been sent to live in a convent.

They only made the one attempt that night.

She excused herself for a long shower to collect her thoughts and try to forget the things she'd said to him in her awful moments of absolute desperation.

Shippo didn't often blush, but his face had been scarlet red within moments of starting. He'd done his best to ignore everything she'd said, and stayed focused on getting her to use her magic to burn away the foreign influence on her mind. When she returned to her room in pajamas and a new seal, he was sprawled over her comforter with his little book resting open in the center of his chest. He glanced at her with a half-smile, but he looked as exhausted as she felt.

‟This is stupid. This is _really_ stupid," she muttered, sitting at her desk. ‟I feel like this is worse for you than it is for me."

‟Nah," he said. ‟It's kinda like watching a porno that doesn't ever get to the good parts," he joked. ‟The plumber ends up finding the lady's missing purse so she can pay her bill with cash instead of _working something out_ with sex."

The heavy mood lifted and Kagome laughed despite her guilt. ‟Is that what it looks like from your end?"

He hummed and rolled onto his side, his book falling to the blanket. ‟Starts like that. Kinda maddening to see you so damned turned on and outta your mind." He shook his head with a laugh and rolled onto his stomach, peeking at her from his pillow. ‟Never in my life has a female had to beg me for anything," he muttered.

‟I see," she said with a chuckle. ‟Not even that _bear_?"

He growled and tossed a pillow at her. ‟She didn't beg _long,_ " he replied.

Kagome bit her lip with a bright blush, and Shippo buried his face in his pillow, his red hair a wild spray of color against the white of her sheets.

‟Hey," she said quietly. ‟Why are you so upset about all of this?"

He shrugged, nonchalant, still hiding his face. ‟Don't worry about it." His voice was a muffled sound and barely understandable. ‟Just a terrible case of depravity."

‟Did you mean to say deprivation?"

He peeked at her with a smirk. ‟Same difference."

* * *

The next night, Shippo trudged up the stairs like he was en route to a firing squad. They were going to try gagging her so she couldn't talk. Despite his easy joking, she felt like she was torturing her best friend. She didn't want to put him through this anymore. She wanted them to take a night off.

‟Surely Hiei will be back by tomorrow," she reasoned.

Shippo shrugged, looking a little pale. ‟What good will having him back be? So two of us can sit and watch you suffer? It's no big deal, and the trouble doesn't last all that long, anyways."

_The trouble doesn't last all that long._

She burned.

She was burning.

There was no other description for the ripping ache pulsing through her. She had to have _something_ , she _needed it_. She glared across the room as he hid his face in his hands, unable to even look at her as she fought against the fire within her. Her words were muffled and she couldn't talk sense into him. Her arms were bound to her sides so she couldn't rip the gag out of her mouth. She clenched her fingers, staring hard at the shine of his red hair, willing him to look at her so she could just make him understand, but he wouldn't look. _He wouldn't **look**_. She screamed, enraged, demanding he acknowledge her, and she chuckled cruelly as he flinched.

_What was **wrong** with her?_

She called on her magic to help her, but instead of flooding her body with it, she turned it against him. He didn't want to play with her. He wanted to hide in the corner, avoiding her eyes. She could feel the bright center of him, the place within his chest where he held the remnants of her magic so close to his heart. Her magic sang across invisible lines between them, and the brightness within him pulsed and jumped with the sudden flare of her magic. He gasped and fell forward on hands and knees, and then _she did it again_. If this was the only way she could get him to stop ignoring her, she'd flash him with her magic all damned—

He growled, slowly tilting his head up to look her in the eyes.

The burning ache thrilled through her at the expression on his face. He was done ignoring her. He crawled toward her on the tips of his fingers, his tongue running across his lip and touching on a single fang as he reached out for one of her ankles, his magic unfurled around him and creeping into her like the most addicting drug. She shuddered and moaned around the gag as it zipped up her leg and set her nerves on fire. She wanted to rub herself all over this feeling and soak it in, feel it fill her and banish the burn. It would all be better once she _had more_.

She cried in desperate rage as his vision quickly cleared and he looked up at her, horrified at what she'd done. Ropes, gags, _nothing_ would save her from herself if she could still do _that_ while being restrained.

His face was twisted in pain as he cupped her jaw, searching her eyes for a moment as she strained toward him. He leaned close and she shuddered in anticipation, her eyes sliding shut as she reveled in the sensation of him touching her. He traced the tip of his nose across her tear-stained cheek, then whispered in her ear the reason why the practice sessions had bothered him so much. "It's agony knowing that the only reason you'll play is if the magic makes you forget yourself."

He vanished from her sight and senses. She searched frantically for his light to call him back to her, but he'd already gone too far. She sobbed in desperation as she tried to pull free from her bindings to chase after him, but she knew they wouldn't budge without his help.

She definitely wouldn't be jumping from the windowsill on this night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spellcheck complained that 'chaperone' was spelled wrong. I fell down a stupid rabbit hole of accepted spellings before I did a poll to see if it was just me needing the 'e' or what. Survey says: add the 'e'  
> Also, much angst over victimizing poor Shippo here.  
> (muffled snickering) guess who comes back next chapter? ;D


	30. Elsewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, Hiei had something he actually needed to do, like investigating odd rumors and catching up with a meddling friend.

When Kagome vanished down the well into the beckoning flicker of light, Shippo said one thing that made a chill run down the back of Hiei's neck. ‟I never thought I'd see her leave like this again." The fox had suffered her absence for five long centuries. How mad must he be to risk letting her go again?

Shippo tilted his head and peered at him with a tiny smirk. ‟You really have some task to do or are you just trying to escape my clutches?"

‟Do you actually want me to stay without her around to act as a buffer for your irritating behavior?" He fingered the hilt of his sword in contemplation. The fox could _probably_ survive the loss of an arm until she returned to help him reattach it.

He shrugged with a knowing smile. ‟Your choice. She might not be gone very long if the only thing she's gotta do is give that guy some energy."

Hiei tilted his head, staring down at the well in consideration. When Koenma had tried to feign ignorance in Reikai, he'd seen enough mysterious images in the demigod's thoughts to know that Kagome had more than a few things to accomplish before she came back again. Seeing her leave this morning had rung a very familiar bell, and those odd memories had started to come together to form a picture spanning the centuries.

He turned to leave. He'd return soon enough. Shippo caught his sleeve and he turned back to glare at the fox and his annoyingly massive grin. ‟I promised her I'd kiss you goodbye. You gonna make a liar out of me?"

Hiei ground his teeth together and flicked his gaze down to the kitsune's lips. He should bite him to teach him a lesson that one should never joke about kissing, but then again, he'd probably _enjoy_ it. He ripped his sleeve free and vanished from sight, heading away from the vexing fox and his _irritating laughter_.

He didn't make it far enough to miss the teasing voice that shouted across the courtyard. ‟I get it, you wanted me to make the first move! _Next time_ ~!"

* * *

He'd been in the mortal realm for barely a week, so he was somewhat surprised to discover that the previous rumors floating around Makai about a ghostly miko had been replaced with entirely new ones about some crazy death cult. A messenger dropped off a fresh stack of reports for Mukuro to peruse as Hiei stared out the window, monitoring a training session in progress dozens of feet below.

‟Why do these new rumors concern us?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

‟Three people have been kidnapped. We aren't sure yet if this is going to require a direct intervention, but we're monitoring for changes."

‟And the kidnapped people, have they been rescued?"

‟Yes, but shortly after they were returned to their homes, they began exhibiting strange symptoms of an undocumented illness. One attempted to kill a family member and couldn't remember doing anything later when questioned about it. They were all sent to a medical facility for observation."

‟Does this require my presence?"

Mukuro turned her gaze toward the lands beyond the great window. Hiei's wandering attention hadn't escaped her notice, and she was amused that he'd found something to fixate on other than his wayward sister. ‟No. Things are not so dire that your presence or absence will make any difference. We know how to reach you. Enjoy the peace while it lasts."

Ominous. Perhaps he should look into this death cult before he returned to the mortal realm. ‟I have some time. I will make inquiries before I leave again."

‟Suit yourself," she murmured with a grin.

The _death cult_ turned out to be nothing more than small groups of idiots wearing cheap black cloaks, gathering around fires and speaking in animated whispers about some god that had vanished hundreds of years ago but was— _for_ _ **sure**_ _this time_ _—_ destined to return for the solar eclipse to retake his rightful throne.

He rolled his eyes. He'd heard a dozen of these 'return to power' myths before. If they weren't complete bullshit, then they were usually about a weakling that had fallen from grace and needed either some ridiculous magical item stolen from a mysterious forgotten treasure vault or thousands of followers doing something moronic (or both) to have a chance of regaining even a fraction of whatever they'd lost.

 _One_ of the groups he found had an odd detail that stood out, perhaps worth further examination. Most of this group's members seemed to gravitate toward a few that had similarly unique appearances. Magical creatures inherently had features in a wide variety of colors like a living rainbow, but something about these few seemed strangely amiss: they were leeched of all color, like corpses warmed over.

He'd seen grey youkai before, but something about this was _unnatural_.

He took note of the group's current location and where they planned on heading next before returning to Mukuro with the information he'd collected. She assigned spies to follow the group and promised to send word if something changed, but she agreed it was probably nothing.

 _So far_.

The last thing he did before he left was dig his gods-forsaken communicator out of the trunk at the foot of his bed where he'd stuffed it some weeks beforehand.

He stared down at the battered, tarnished device. Kagome now had one of these. What had once been an object of endless annoyance was now an object of _slight_ ( _very_ _ **very**_ _slight_ ) curiosity. And as he thought of the strange girl, he realized that she was also in possession of a _ridiculous magical item_ that could potentially become a target for the moronic death cult followers.

No one was around to hear his deep sigh of resignation.

If he was overreacting about something that didn't end up being a thing, _great_. Otherwise, he looked forward to bloodying his blade while putting an end to another idiotic myth.

* * *

He wasn't sure why, but once he'd returned to the mortal realm, the first person he thought of seeing was Kurama. He landed lightly on the wide balcony outside of Kurama's living room and pushed open the sliding door without knocking. Kurama sat at a narrow kitchen table, his pencil flying across a binder of notes as he twisted a blood red leaf between his fingers.

Hiei _almost_ didn't notice the bright blue curl of a young vine creeping toward his shoulder from one of the shelves by the window. He jerked out of its reach, hissing at his friend in shock. ‟What the _fuck_ possessed you to bring one of those _home_?"

The kitsune chuckled lowly. ‟It likes me and wanted to stay with someone who would cherish it."

Hiei glared, briefly contemplating how long it would take to burn down this apartment.

 _Whatever._ The kitsune and his strange obsessions were not his responsibility to monitor or correct.

He strode over to the table and slid into an empty seat. ‟What does this thing do?" He waved his beaten-up communicator under Kurama's nose.

‟It communicates," he replied with a bland expression.

‟And?"

‟…And what else are you hoping for?"

‟Can it be used to track someone else that has one?" Hiei wasn't sure how many of these little devices existed, but if Kagome continued to carry hers and could be found easily, it might prove to be problematic.

Kurama frowned. ‟Only the Reikai has that kind of capability."

‟And how do you call someone with it?"

Kurama stared in bewilderment. _Hiei, wanting to contact someone?_ Narrowing his eyes, he said, ‟If their name is in the directory, you just tell the communicator to call the person in question."

Hiei turned the battered metal over in his hands, looking thoughtful before he tucked it away inside one of his pockets.

‟I'm guessing you didn't have it on you a few days ago," he mentioned offhandedly.

Hiei shrugged. ‟I had it put away."

‟Reikai sent out an alert about the upcoming solar eclipse."

‟I'm not surprised. There are some idiots running around in Makai gossiping about the eclipse and how it relates to one of those _return to power_ myths."

‟I suppose we'll be called if anything comes of it." Kurama leaned back in his chair, feigning boredom as he twirled his pencil between his fingertips. ‟It's a shame I couldn't reach you to join us for lunch."

‟Lunch." Hiei glanced at him with a look of disgust.

‟Yes, the delightful meal that many humans take around midday. The girl we rescued called me to arrange our _date_."

Hiei quirked an unimpressed brow.

Kurama blinked lazily, leaning forward to prop his chin on his palm. ‟It's unfortunate that my little cousin insisted on tagging along. I could tell her thoughts lingered on how exciting it was to kiss me."

A very small muscle in Hiei's jaw twitched.

Kurama's gaze flicked over his friend's face with a slowly spreading smile. ‟If you're feeling such a strong need for attention that you'd chase after a human girl you've only just met, you know my door is always open."

‟Are you so starved for sex that you have to resort to asking _me_?" Hiei replied with a glare.

Kurama traced the tip of his thumb along his lip and leaned back with a nonchalant shrug. ‟Taking the edge off might help improve _rational thinking_ when it comes to your fruitless chase." He tilted his head back to expose the long line of his throat and brushed his fingers through his hair, fanning the bright red locks. A rush of rose petal sweetness filled the air. ‟You behave as though you don't enjoy it."

Hiei had perfected the appearance of boredom.

Kurama sat up with sudden interest. ‟Maybe we can ask Reikai to find her for us, then?" He slid his fingers into a pocket and withdrew his own communicator. ‟Or even..." He eyed his friend with a hint of mischief glittering in his eyes. ‟ _Call Kagome._ "

Hiei jerked upright so quickly that he nearly fell from his chair, and he didn't disguise his curiosity as he leaned over to peer into the tiny screen at who answered the call.

A fuzzy green person tilted their head in surprise at the two youkai. Kurama had met this one some time ago and vaguely recalled his name. ‟Ah, hello, Gregory-san."

"Oh! Kurama-san... and Hiei-san! Sorry about the delay on Kagome-sama's device. I should have it back to her in the next day or two."

Hiei remained silent as Kurama nodded thoughtfully. It made sense that Reikai might have needed to make adjustments to such a new device.

"Please extend my apologies and deepest thanks."

Kurama stilled, a polite smile plastered to his face. "Of course." The technician wouldn't have asked them to apologize on his behalf unless he _knew_ that one of them knew where to find the girl in question and would likely be seeing her soon.

The brief call disconnected and Hiei was torn between leaving immediately and revealing his hand, or staying to see if Kurama had already known more than he'd previously let on.

Kurama didn't even try to play coy. "So, you found her. Has my cousin been behaving, or has he been trying— _and failing_ —to scare you away from his human?"

It was briefly tempting to rub his progress in the kitsune's face, but he held his secrets close. He enjoyed being in the girl's presence and wanted to see where it might lead, but he didn't want to turn gaining her attentions into a point of competition between them.

‟ _Shippo_ is a pain in the ass," Hiei muttered.

Kurama couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips, and he brushed his hand across his mouth in a poor attempt to disguise his amusement. ‟Do you mean that figuratively or literally?"

‟What is it with all of you kitsune immediately jumping to whatever conclusion that has the best chance to end up discussing or participating in sex?"

Kurama watched his friend closely, quietly reveling in Hiei's growing discomfort. _Oh, to be the focus of another flirting soul._ He needed to get out more. The local girls were falling over themselves to tempt him into bed. _If we settle for a local girl, though, they break_ _ **really**_ _easily. Hiei, on the other hand, does_ _ **not**_.

Hiei stood, eying his friend warily. He knew him too well.

Kurama couldn't help a bit of a pout. ‟Are you sure you don't want to stay for just a few hours?"

‟Not today," he said, walking back toward the balcony doors.

Kurama hummed in disappointment, calling back the vine he'd nudged in his direction. _Bondage on another day, then._

He let his friend leave without further comment. His focus completely destroyed for the rest of the evening, he quietly put his work away before he slid out onto the balcony to do a little bit of healthy tracking.

* * *

Hiei leapt across three rooftops, heading in no particular direction. It was entirely possible that Kurama might decide to follow him, and he didn't want to give away his intended destination too easily. His lips quirked in amusement. Shippo and Kagome's barrier around the shrine might cause a bit of discomfort to someone that hadn't yet been welcomed on the family property, and he wondered what it might do to his curious friend.

Hiei frowned and dropped into a darkening alley, his nose wrinkling at the odors that assaulted his senses. If the technician had borrowed her device long enough ago to consider its return delayed… she must have been back for _days_ by now. His gaze turned west where the shrine and its occupants awaited his return. He wondered briefly how much trouble she'd managed to get herself into while accomplishing her goals in the past.

Koenma's flighty thoughts had been a mess as he'd mentally scrambled to avoid giving away too many details to the girl who apparently knew nothing about her upcoming trips. _No spoilers._ What strange nonsense. He strolled into the next reeking alleyway alongside a bar that had just started admitting its evening patrons, a cruel smirk curling his lips as he thought about the trouble Kurama might have tracking him through these awful smells.

He leapt upwards and landed quietly in another three alleys before jumping a fence bordering an empty park. It was a shame that there would be no rain tonight. Hiei perched in silence on a wide branch, watching the sun as it drifted lower over the horizon.

He sighed and shook his head, starting his lengthy roundabout approach to the shrine. If Kurama really stuck out a tracking effort long enough to follow him all the way there, he'd deserve a fucking award.


	31. The Rescue that Went Awry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or, the one where Kagome is rescued, but probably not the way Hiei had expected to be rescuing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has several references to events in book 2. Also, see end for note on the section marked **

After two hours of backtracking, crossing his own path, and setting a few small fires for good measure, he finally arrived at the base of the shrine steps. He took his time heading up the stairs, savoring the gentle sting of her magic as it slipped around him, welcoming his return.

Hiei caught the shortest glimpse of her annoying kitsune friend flashing across the treetops to the west as he neared the torii. He stared in confusion at his hasty departure, casting out his senses for anything out of the ordinary. Shippo would never abandon the shrine in a moment of danger, but perhaps there was something wrong nearby?

His concern growing, he jumped up the last of the stairs and landed in the middle of the moonlit courtyard. Nothing was amiss, and the shrine's protections were still holding strong.

Her magic flared unexpectedly, drawing his attention to the second floor of her home. _What the hell?_

He leapt to her windowsill and peered inside, shocked to find her sitting on the floor, bound to the edge of her bed with a gag stuffed in her mouth. He could sense an additional barrier around her room. His gaze briefly flicked back in the direction the kitsune had fled.

What the _fuck_ had he been doing?

His scent was all over the room like usual, but there was an edge to it that he'd picked up a handful of times in the past that said _sex was on the brain_. The _only_ thing stopping him from immediately chasing the bastard down to eviscerate him was the fact that Kagome was still fully clothed and appeared unharmed despite her distraught expression. He slipped into her room a moment before she spotted him. She had tears in her lashes as her muffled voice made a noise that might have been his name.

"What the hell did he _do_ to you?" he muttered, drawing his sword to cut through the bindings that fastened her to the bed. Her hands flashed up to the gag in her mouth to rip it free with a gasp of relief before she threw herself at him.

He barely got his sword out of the way in time as she collided with his chest, knocking him backwards into the closet door with a barrier-muffled _thump_ as she pressed herself to him in desperation.

"Kago- _mmph_ ," her mouth unerringly found his, cutting off his intention to ask her what had happened.

His mind blanked and he dropped his sword on the floor to free his hands for her neck and waist. She moaned into his mouth and slid her tongue against his, their teeth clicking as she reached and stroked and tasted him with frantic, wild abandon.

She licked inside his mouth and nicked the edge of her tongue along one of his short fangs. Her blood burned on his lips and sizzled against his tongue as he tasted the tiny cut. He swallowed, surprised at the sensation that chilled past his throat, like she'd sucked the fire right out of his chest. _That_ _'s new_.

Her thoughts were a blur of copper and woodsmoke, strong arms and panting breaths. The desperate longing blazed higher once she had him in her grasp. She wanted to breathe him in, sink into his warmth and never let go. His teeth were sharp, his tongue _so hot_ as it slid against hers. Her mouth watered, and she wanted to drink him in.

He had something she needed, something she craved**. Unable to put a name to it, she started with the simpler things that made sense.

She needed more skin.

They needed less clothes.

This was what she'd wanted, wasn't it?

One of her hands fisted roughly in his hair and the other yanked at his shirt until she could slide her hand inside to trace the muscles of his chest. She wanted to touch everything, to explore with her fingers and lips and teeth. He shuddered in her grip.

She leaned into him to press their bodies flush, crushing her breasts against his chest as he gasped against her mouth. _Talk about a_ _ **welcome back**_ , he thought as she briefly sucked his lower lip into her mouth, sending a jolt of lust straight to his groin.

Her mind was open to him, but where he'd expected to find joy at their reunion or thanks for the rescue, he could sense nothing but an unnatural fog of desire hazing anything coherent. Immediately concerned, his focus dove into her mind and evaded the stabs of her need trickling through their connection.

She could feel his ardor fading, _which would not do at all._ She sharply nipped his lip and slid her mouth against his with a whine of protest at his sudden inactivity.

He growled in irritation and pulled her harshly against him, dipping his hand into her hair to yank her head back so he could run his lips and teeth along her jaw. She sighed as he responded, complacent in his arms as his mouth slid back to hers, absently tasting her lips and tongue, using her distraction to delve into her mind for the root of the strangeness that had overcome her.

She _needed_ him to need her like she needed _him_. Something was missing, a gap in her heart, a void in her skull. Something was … _wrong_.

She felt him inside her mind, the heat of his brushing thoughts now insistently prodding with his razor-sharp focus slashing through the traces of lust he had just moments before. It was natural to follow him back to the dark recesses of his mind, where his flames burned under tight control, his passion reined in under the pressing weight of his concern for her.

 _Something was wrong_.

She squeezed her eyes shut as his lips branded a scalding line across her jaw. She shuddered in sudden revulsion as he _found something_ in her mind, and her natural reaction was to call forth her power in defense.

He flinched as the magic briefly blinded his Jagan but did not pull away, sealing his mouth to hers as he continued to sift through her mind.

She gasped against his lips as she dug her fingers into his hair, and he could feel her struggle against whatever it was that had sent her down this path of momentary madness as she shuddered in his arms. Her magic flared again, this time with greater intensity that made him hiss against the stinging burn.

* **Kagome** ,* he pushed with his mind, pulling her face away from his with a firm grip in her hair. Her pale neck arched before his eyes and she shivered with damp and swollen lips.

Her eyelids fluttered as her gaze drifted upwards, another pulse of her magic sizzling through his skin. She sucked in deep, steadying breaths of air as he felt the fog lift and her vision cleared. She drooped in his arms as her eyes slid closed, tears leaking from the corners.

"This is impossible," she muttered, her voice cracking.

" _What_ did he do to you?"

Her hands crept up to his shoulders as her eyes cracked open, seeking out his glowing crimson gaze in the dimness of her room. She shook her head. "He was trying to help."

"How is tying you to your bed and leaving you in such a state _helping_?" he growled, his grip tightening around her.

Her lips curled into a tiny smile. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

An odd memory flashed through her thoughts. He watched a strange-looking little man tell her about a dark friend that had broken open some power. She tensed in his arms, searching his eyes with sudden suspicion. She tried to pull free but he held tight, refusing to allow her to break that connection that allowed him into her thoughts.

Her hands caught fire against his shoulders and he jerked against her grip, barely holding back a hiss of pain. He prodded quickly for any kind of information that might explain what the hell was suddenly worrying her, but her power flashed again, shutting him out of her mind. 

A chill crept down his neck at the rising fury in her expression. He searched her eyes in confusion as she stared at him in growing alarm, and he reluctantly let her go, allowing her to shove herself away from him. She backed up to stand near the window, her hands burning with bright pink flame as she held them in front of her defensively.

He hoped he hadn't done something to make her think she'd be safer jumping to the courtyard a few dozen feet below. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth with a grimace. Whatever had upset her did not sit well with the fact that they'd just been kissing. Her eyes shimmered with hurt as she looked to him for the answer to a question she didn't want to ask.

She flinched backwards as he took a step toward her. "What is _wrong?"_ he asked. She hadn't been this uncertain of him since the first time they'd met.

" _What_ is it that you want from me, Hiei?"

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, what do _I_ want? You're the one that just attacked me. I should be asking what _you_ want."

Her hand drifted to her side, resting absently over a spot just above her hip. " _You_ were the one to break the seal. Why did you do it? What do you want from me?"

He looked at her in confusion for the smallest of moments before he understood what she was talking about. "But I didn't - _how_ could I have - those were _miko_ seals."

She stared at him for a long moment, her suspicion growing. "The _only_ people who knew those were miko seals were Shippo and one other person who has been long dead. I never told you about… How could you possibly _know that_?"

He sighed in exasperation, but the fire in her hands flared brighter as she grew angry. "Kagome, the day we first connected… something happened with time. I was trapped for what seemed like weeks in some strange time slip with nothing to do but explore your mind. I know _everything_ you had ever known up until that moment. Your memories became my memories."

And as he thought back to how she'd constructed those miko seals with Kikyo, something stood out as _wrong_. "There was a snag," he murmured, thinking back to the time between her desperate attempt to save the great tree and when she'd suddenly been possessed by power that belonged to someone else. "I didn't know what it was I was looking for or what I was looking at."

His fingers brushed the center of his forehead, where the Jagan eye was hidden behind a pale fold of fabric. ‟I spotted something interesting that might have held a clue about what you were hiding from us, and there was a _snag_ in its protections. Kurama surprised me just as I was looking through the gap, and then…"

His eyebrows furrowed at the strange thought she'd had in that moment between wakefulness and the oblivion of sleep: someone on the team must have done something to help her feel better and rest. "None of us did anything to heal you after you'd saved the tree." His eyes widened in sudden comprehension of that night's sequence of events. "If _I_ broke the seal, then that means I'm directly responsible for your possession and all the misery that has brought you."

Her brows furrowed as she took a step closer to him, shaking her head in denial. "No, the only one responsible for the possession was the one doing the possessing. And she had been trapped for so long, I doubt she truly understood anything other than gaining freedom and seeking revenge."

He looked down at his hand. He hadn't known what would happen, but he'd potentially risked _everything_ to stop something infinitely dangerous that had been unleashed on the wilds of Makai. The burn from her magic had lingered in the skin of his arm for some time afterwards, angry red with a scattering of raw blisters. He'd been pleasantly surprised when they'd connected and the power now coursing through her swept away every single one of his injuries.

"Kagome, if I'd truly meant to take your power or cause trouble with it, why the _hell_ would I risk my life to return your damned magic to you? Even tree-sama warned me that if I wasn't honest with my intentions, _your magic would kill me_."

He looked up to meet her gaze, and she searched his eyes as she worried her lip between her teeth. He wasn't sure what he needed to do to get her to trust his intentions. "It's true that there are things I want that I do not have. But I will _earn_ them." He moved away from her wall and carefully stepped around her with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I _want_ your trust. If I have not yet earned it, I will leave until your fox comes back."

"Wait," she reached out to take hold of his sleeve. "You're right. There have been too many opportunities…" She stepped closer to him and caught his other sleeve in her free hand. She looked up to meet his gaze. "Either you've earned your trust, or you're running a very long con." Narrowing her eyes, she continued. "If you've seen my memories, then you know the lengths I'll go to make things right."

He nodded, his eyes closing as he quietly reveled in the sting of her flaring magic. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it, but her threat was clear. He hated to admit how nice it felt.

"Stay?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper, inches from his face.

His lips twitched as he opened his eyes to look at her cautious expression. Something must be seriously wrong with him that he'd want to smile. She released his sleeves as he pulled his hands from his pockets to rest them gently on her waist, and she pressed her face to his shoulder and muttered, "You can't leave without your sword, anyways."

His gaze slid sideways to his weapon he'd dropped on her floor. He let out a short breath—an almost-laugh—that he'd been so neglectful. "You make me forget myself," he admitted.

She turned her face to gaze in the direction of her open window. "I hope you can forget some of those things you saw in my memories." She didn't dare look at him, and he could sense her unease growing. "You really saw _everything_?"

He shrugged before carefully sliding his arms around her waist and back. "Knowing the capability of your enemy is just as important as knowing your allies." He leaned his face closer to brush his lips against her ear. "I know enough to never use it against you unless you _want_ me to."

She shivered and clutched his shoulders. "And here I was, thinking that Shippo was the one with his mind in the gutter."

He pulled away to hold her at arm's length with a disbelieving shake of the head. "Woman, I merely meant I know your favorite things in case I ever need an effective bribe."

"Oh." She blinked at him, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

He tilted his head to look her over. ‟You returned earlier than I'd expected you to. I saw some of Koenma's memories of you the day he gave you the communicator."

She turned scarlet and dropped her gaze.

He hummed and gave her a thoughtful look, his fingers twitching against her sides. ‟I might need to break his arms for doing things without your permission." He carefully pulled her back to him, unsure of how much she'd allow. When she sighed and leaned against him, he looped an arm under her legs and slid down her wall to hold her curled form in his lap.

‟I imagine that many things have happened since you left us."

She slumped against his chest, relaxing into his warmth with her face on his shoulder as she stared into the darkness of her room. "I've been gone for a while. Things happened. Learned stuff. Weaknesses discovered." She paused and closed her eyes in embarrassment. ‟It was his idea that being tied up would stop me from attacking him like I just did to you."

Amusement trickled through his thoughts at the lengths the kitsune had gone to in trying to avoid compromising his friendship with the girl.

Her hand on his shoulder squeezed once. "It's not funny." He held his breath in brief surprise. How much could she pick up from him? "I think…" she paused, a shiver wracking her form. "I think my magic _did_ something to him."

Hiei stroked a warm hand down her back. She relaxed further, sighing in bliss at the heat radiating from him.

"He'll tell you about it when he's ready," he murmured, rolling his head back to rest against the closet door.

"I hope he's okay. I really unleashed on him," she whispered.

"He'll survive. I spotted him leaving on the way here, and he was very much alive."

She shifted slightly to settle more comfortably against him and rubbed her face on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "Are you staying?"

He draped his arms around her waist, trapping her against him. He wondered how long she'd lounge in his arms before falling back into her shy and blushing behavior once more. "Did you want me to leave?"

The corner of her mouth twitched at the familiar conversation flow. "No."

He sighed, feeling her grow drowsy in his grip. "I will take his place until he collects himself enough to come back." She hummed against him, shifting again to find a more comfortable position. He enjoyed holding her like this, but he knew two things would certainly happen if she stayed where she was for much longer.

She would end up with a sore neck for sleeping awkwardly, but more importantly for him, every shift against his lap began to feel a little _too_ nice and he was on the verge of becoming _less comfortable_ for either of them.

"You will probably appreciate sleeping in your bed tonight," he said quietly.

She picked up her head and looked around the room before turning her face toward his, inches from her own. She blinked at their closeness and he felt her breath catch as she stared.

Her eyes searched his before flicking briefly down to his lips. "You'll… stay?"

He quietly huffed in amusement. "I'll even _cuddle_." His fingers tickled up her spine as he contemplated pulling her toward him. Her eyes slid shut at the sensation and she sighed.

He'd have patience. He'd wait until she came to him on her own, without the effects of some weird magic forcing her to act out of character. "Pajamas," he reminded her.

She opened her eyes and smiled softly as her fingers gently gripped his shoulders. He helped her stand, his face feeling warm as she reluctantly let him go to put on the soft outfit she normally slept in. She was gone longer than usual and he watched her light lingering in the upstairs bathroom as a quiet shimmer of frazzled magic.

He rolled his eyes. After what she'd just done to him, he'd expected either a moment of maidenly panic or acceptance that _it was fine_.

Perhaps she needed more time to let go of the first and realize the second.

When she crept into her room a half hour later, he knew without a doubt she'd reverted to her shy state. He sighed. Perhaps he should suggest the kitsune reattempt whatever he'd been trying to help her with earlier. He stood and waved at her bed, indicating she should lie down first, and she shuffled over with a grimace.

He dropped his hand on the top of her head with a serious look. "I once heard someone claim they do not bite as a means to ease worry."

She looked at him in confusion as he paused.

"I cannot assure you of such a thing," he murmured, "because that would be lying."

Surprised at his admission, she laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** In this scene, important note that I can't just leave hanging until the chapters get around to explaining what the heck is wrong with Kagome: she was not craving _sex_. Something else is nagging at her during those moments of madness. If this were a complete story (or at least past the point of telling you what's wrong), I'd let you just read on and find out, but that might still be weeks away still and I don't want readers thinking Kagome's turned ultra-horny lmao.  
> I'll remove this note later.


	32. On a Pedestal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Or the one where Hiei learns a new skill.) Shippo has been thinking of Kagome as being a legendary thing for so long that it's almost like she's not a real person anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotta say, if you're still reading you're probably pretty heavily invested in this fic. enjoy some subtle m/m fluff.

He watched with more interest than usual as Kagome crawled under her sheet and blankets and pulled them up over her shoulder. She peeked at him from the edge of white, her dark hair splayed over her pillow like a void of soft scent he wanted to fall into and never emerge.

She quirked an eyebrow, wondering if he'd actually follow through with his promise (threat) of cuddles, but she wasn't entirely sure it would be the _right_ kind of sleeping arrangements to allow her to drop off into unconsciousness. Maybe she'd be so damned nervous having him at her back without anyone else around that she'd just be stuck, tense like a bowstring until something snapped.

‟You don't seem very much like the cuddling type."

‟I've seen your fox do this several times. The concept seems simple enough."

_That must be Hiei-speak for 'No, I do not cuddle.'_

He eyed her bed and the small nightstand at its side, considering possible spots to place his weapon. If he _ever_ slept in a room (rarely) he had mounts for his blade on the bedpost as well as a smaller blade hidden beneath both the mattress and pillow.

(Hiei didn't sleep often.)

He hesitantly crawled onto the squashy, soft material by her ankles and paused. The bedding smelled like them. It had been a very long time since he'd last shared sleeping arrangements with anyone. He'd lived a rough life and found it was hard to trust that someone wouldn't murder you during such a moment of weakness.

‟What's wrong?" she whispered.

‟I'm not sure where I should put my sword." It was half of the truth, anyways.

She bit her lip in sudden amusement, thinking that Shippo would have at least three dirty recommendations for that, and then her humor was doused under the flood of her sadness.

She'd run him off by attacking him with her magic.

It made him crazy, he'd told her.

He wanted to avoid it. And she'd…

Hiei crawled up the bed with a sigh and leaned on his elbow, looking at the curve of her cheek just barely visible past the hands hiding her face. He shook her gently with a warm hand on her shoulder. ‟Stop. Whatever it is, worrying about it will do you no good."

He eased himself closer, draping an arm over her side like he'd seen the fox do with quiet whispers in her hair, jokes into the darkness of the night, and long glances over her shoulder in his direction, daring him to join their pile.

Tonight, he dared.

‟Are you sure you're okay with this?" she whispered. ‟You don't have to do it if it makes you uncomfortable."

‟Are you the shield at our backs? The barrier that guards us?"

She nodded, peeking from her hands to look at his face as he stared down at her.

‟Then I will be the sword at your side, to guard you from enemies unseen."

She bit her lip, brows furrowed. ‟What would that make Shippo?"

Hiei relaxed behind her with a sigh that ruffled her hair. ‟A nuisance," he muttered.

‟Hmm," she replied, a tiny smile curving her lips.

It wasn't worth arguing with her over this. He wasn't a nuisance for _her_.

Shippo, the meddlesome kitsune that had more insight into Hiei's character than he'd have liked, had less insight to _Kagome's_ character than he thought he did.

Centuries to reflect on his fond memories of the girl from his past (as well as thousands of retellings of their many adventures) had gradually shifted his opinion of the young miko from trusted friend to something that might be placed upon a pedestal and cherished from a safe distance. There was only one reason he hadn't stolen her away to put her somewhere safe from the rest of the world. He knew she'd fight tooth and nail for both the people she loved as well as strangers in need, and he couldn't take her away from her calling to _help_.

Hiei didn't often delve into the minds of others, finding innermost thoughts to generally be repulsive exposures of hidden natures that most would never show to the outside world. His closest friends and allies, though, had been fair game at one point or another. He had to _trust_ those he had at his back, and trust was hard to find without knowing the insanity that went on behind bland expressions or bad-mouthed posturing.

At one point in his life, he might have thought all foxes were roughly the same. Cunning planners, always ready for a good roll in the sheets, and fond of sparkling things.

Sifting through Shippo's mind was a very different experience than Kurama's split personality. Where his partner was cool and calculating, tricky and planning twelve steps ahead while hiding his intentions behind a gentle and placid demeanor, Shippo was heavy sarcasm drizzled over a mindset focused almost entirely on play; an adult that didn't care to hide his nature behind a human facade. More than once, Hiei had been tempted to seriously hurt him for his seemingly careless actions, but each time he'd deflected his anger by demonstrating his uncanny skill to plan ahead, working around the shortcomings of his impulsive nature to ensure things fell nicely into place so that he could continue to be himself.

Shippo didn't often hide his intentions behind careful words and behavior. He was almost as easy to read as Kagome, because he usually only had two things on his mind: comfort and play. To have comfort required careful safeguard around this home. It had become a den of sorts, layered under such extensive protections that he doubted anyone uninvited would be able to even step foot on the stairs.

Shippo and Kagome had spent dozens of hours refining their barrier during practice sessions. It had become a constant source of comfort, knowing your back would be guarded from the unexpected.

 _Play_ on the other hand? Shippo, more often than not, had to hold himself back from his more natural inclinations. Hiei knew _with far too much detail_ exactly how much crossed the kitsune's mind.

He teased and hinted at playing, but he was so unsure of where he stood with her that he'd been overly careful to never think of their relationship as anything more than close companions and perfect friends. That uncertainty of her feelings had been one of the few things he’d been unable to plan around.

His pedestal miko. He would let her run off to save the world, but he wouldn't dare tell her he was lonely.

Hiei had seen Shippo's deep-rooted fear that he'd drive her away if she knew where his thoughts sometimes drifted. He wouldn't even fixate on the other available adult, thanks to the fledgling hopes that she'd found someone she liked (not to mention Hiei's casual threats of bodily harm).

Shippo didn't dare push his luck, but it hadn't fully dissuaded the fox from flirting. His troubles were probably made worse knowing he could leave and have any one of dozens of friends to occupy his thoughts and body for a few hours. He hadn't dared to leave her side for long, insistent on spending as much time with her as possible.

The fact that he'd _left_ this evening made Hiei concerned that he'd finally reached his tipping point.

So, maybe Shippo wasn't as big of a nuisance as Hiei had implied. Maybe it was just that Shippo was being an idiot and needed a firm nudge to _stop_. He took a deep breath and subtly rubbed his face in the softness of the pillow and her hair.

This was something worth staying for.

Something worth fighting for.

Something worth keeping.

Some time later, a disturbance in the air alerted Hiei to the kitsune's return. His eyes slid open to spot Shippo alighting on her windowsill, soaked and shivering. A bright green gaze swept the room and landed on the arm draped over her sleeping figure. He kept his expression carefully neutral, but Hiei knew him well enough by now to spot the telltale signs of confusion and regret in the set of the kitsune's eyes.

He slipped inside the darkened room, dripping on the carpeted floor. "It's raining in Makai," he explained, his voice falling to a quiet mutter as he added on, "I picked a fight."

Hiei had more than a few experiences where getting into a fight with something big and mean had been far preferable to taking out his frustrations on the person that had irritated him. In fact, the most recent of those moments had been less than a month ago, when _Kagome_ had meandered right into his brief (and sorely needed) moment of solitude.

The rampaging building-sized spider had stood no chance.

Shippo's gaze flicked quickly around the room as he breathed deep, calming breaths, looking for the subtle hints that told a muted story of what may have happened after he'd left. His brows furrowed at the scents that spoke of heated passion and her burning anger that had somehow resulted in their unexpected sleeping arrangements. Green eyes eventually met his, filled with questions and a hint of something more.

Hiei twitched his head ever so slightly, copying the motion Shippo had made on his first night at the shrine to indicate he should join them. Shippo blinked several times and then had the audacity to rub at his eye like he'd imagined what he'd seen.

Hiei's eyes closed again, feigning dismissal. The kitsune seemed incapable of relaxing unless he had someone to cling to, and he had no interest in giving him back his spot. A _very tiny_ voice in the back of his mind whispered that he absolutely did _not_ cuddle, but he was loathe to give up his armful of Kagome, nor did he care to suffer through the sad contemplations of the displaced fox for the entire night.

Shippo shivered violently as he stripped out of his sodden shirt. He held it out the window to wring water from the fabric before draping it over the windowsill. His jeans got the same treatment before he pulled a spare pair of soft pants from her bottom drawer and slid them over his chilled legs.

 _Fuck,_ he hated the rain. Not even beating that rude bandit within an inch of his life did much to quell the irritation he felt toward his least favorite element, especially considering the intense frustration he'd suffered through after being hit with her magic _like that_. Maybe he should have sought out a quick fuck instead of a quick fight. He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering his thoughts into neutral territory.

His gaze fell to the pale hand draped over his favorite person. He swallowed thickly and beat back the clawing sadness that threatened to overtake his natural good humor.

He'd promised she'd have him every night until she'd needed to leave again.

He'd broken his promise.

He couldn't believe the anti-social fire elemental would dare to take his spot in his absence, _let alone_ suggest being sandwiched between two such cuddly people.

With the scents Shippo could detect in the room, he could only imagine what had happened once he'd left. He didn't _want_ to imagine it. It could be dangerous, painful, and _dangerously painful_ if he couldn't keep his mind out of the gutter with what he was about to do. He did not need _any body part_ to stab this ill-tempered fire demon that was ready to stab him with whichever weapon might be closest.

Hiei must be ill or drunk, but Shippo was tired and cold. He'd worry about it more in the morning, if Hiei didn't come to his senses and murder him first.

Shippo carefully slid into the narrow space between Hiei and the wall, then hissed in surprise, "You brought your _sword_ to bed?"

Hiei shrugged.

There was a quiet _thunk_ of something heavy being shoved to the floor before Shippo's cool fingers found purchase in the fabric over Hiei's shoulder. "Gods, you're _warm,_ " he muttered, nuzzling his face into the dark hair splayed across his pillow. "What're you doing here, anyways?"

"Your job."

Shippo made a short noise of exasperation but didn't push him for more. "She needs a bigger bed."

Hiei hummed in agreement.

"Ah well, if I've gotta be stuck between a wall and a hard place, at least this hard place smells nice."

"If your hands wander, I will remove them from your body."

Shippo smiled, a yawn creeping up on him as he basked in the warmth. Deeply chilled from his fight in the rain, he curled himself against Hiei's back and fell right to sleep.

The level of trust it took to sleep with someone who could kill you… Hiei paused with that thought, looking down at the girl, fast asleep under his arm. Two friendly, playful, and sociable creatures had enough trust in him to drop their guard and accept him as one of their own.

He twitched in dismay, remembering Shippo had knocked his sword to the floor. He was loathe to move from this coveted spot, and now it was out of reach should he need it.

But he shouldn't need it tonight… not with these two at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, I've kind of broken Hiei. (omg it gets worse, not sorry.)


	33. Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warm and cozy. What more could anyone want?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, my pretties, _yes._

Kagome woke some time before dawn, sprawled on her back with a warm body pressed against her side and a soft breath tickling her ear. Relaxed and sleepy, she rolled into the warmth with a sigh as she tucked her head under a chin. As she moved, clawed fingertips pricked gently against her throat and an arm slid loosely over her waist, comforting in its lax weight.

How she _ever_ slept by herself was a complete mystery.

_Bliss_.

Her arm crept out and draped over the warmth at her side and she pressed her face against the dark fabric to hide from the sun that might be assaulting her senses at any moment.

It took her brain a little while to realize something was _off_.

Her fingertips rested against something smooth and warm. The middle of her arm rested on fabric-covered torso. She flattened her hand on the surface, spreading her fingers to determine what it was that she'd touched.

Warm skin.

Muscles that twitched as her fingers slid back toward her to feel for the fabric.

Even warmer muscles under the rough-woven fabric.

Shippo's clothes were made from the softest materials he could find. Two separate torsos? Had Shippo come back in the night?

Her eyes flew open as her brain screeched to a halt. Was Hiei _between_ them?

Promising herself it must be a dream, she screwed her eyes shut and did her best to stop thinking impossible thoughts.

Warm fingers slid slowly, peacefully down her back, soothing in their motion. She melted as bliss returned and she drifted back to sleep under the gently petting caress.

An hour after sunrise, the sound of clinking dishes downstairs startled her from sleep. Her face was buried in rough, dark fabric, which was a little out of the ordinary, but the arm draped heavily over her side felt right. She reached out with tentative fingers intending a hug to apologize for her terrible behavior the night before, and unexpectedly met another hand.

Warm fingers threaded through hers.

Her eyes fluttered open as she began to realize something was not quite right. Very slowly, she sat up, blinking owlishly down at the other two that had somehow squeezed onto the other half of her bed. Shippo's much taller frame curled around Hiei, his bright red hair and the pale skin of his bare torso clashing vividly against the black of Hiei's hair and clothes. Both males had sleep-mussed hair and Shippo had brazenly draped his arm across Hiei's side.

_That_ was the hand she'd found.

Her mouth fell open and then she promptly fell off the bed.

Hiei grumbled irritably as Shippo leaned over him to peek at the girl sprawled on the floor.

‟Look, if you aren't gonna let me put a bigger bed in here, we're gonna have to start sleeping on the floor. There's not _nearly_ enough room to cuddle properly."

‟My mother is going to kill me," she muttered, pressing her hands to her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet :)   
> Next chapter has some uncomfortable discussions. Or at least, terribly awkward for at least one person. (It's gonna be _great_ )


	34. Too Good To Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the best things eventually fall to pieces.

When Shippo had stripped (and Hiei had most definitely _not_ been watching) he'd removed not only his sodden clothes but also the charm he kept tucked away in one of his pockets. He'd poked around in the kitsune's head as the others slept, forming a more complete picture of the mess he'd stumbled into upon his return.

He saw their failed efforts to help Kagome understand and overcome her newly discovered weakness. A literal _madness._

He puzzled over their skewed approach and was not terribly surprised that they'd failed to reach any useful conclusions.

She _claimed_ to be more aware during their sessions if she kept her defenses up before the attack, but from Shippo's perspective, her reactions had been getting markedly worse with each new attempt.

The kitsune had found himself torn, tempted to indulge by giving in to her surprisingly creative demands, yet held back by the deep-rooted sense of honor and respect he'd built up for this girl.

He froze as he found the moment when she'd overwhelmed Shippo with her magic. The physical response to that had been a lust so deep that Hiei was profoundly thankful she was fast asleep, because his reaction was immediate and very real. He swallowed, took a calming breath and pulled himself together.

He was impressed Shippo had managed to stop himself. Perhaps running away _had_ been his best course of action.

The stories she'd relayed over their last few days seemed stilted, shortened, missing vital clues and great chunks of content. She hadn't mentioned any dealings with the shady little ruler of Reikai, Koenma, not to mention his proclivity to kiss first and ask questions later. Hiei was certain that she'd experienced _at least_ one of those episodes he'd witnessed in Koenma's memories.

And that mysterious little bastard in the desert? He narrowed his eyes in contemplation, examining the extent of her wound through Shippo's memories. He slid careful fingers to the blanket over her shoulder and tugged it down to peer at the still-healing marks. It was very peculiar that the two tiny cuts had bled so much.

She had given the device, her vesper, to that odd little technician, Greg, some days prior. Hiei had little care for advances in technology, but whatever more they learned about what she might be able (or required) to do seemed _ominous_. How many times would she be called away to help with some ancient bit of history? He tugged the blanket back up over her neck and pursed his lips in contemplation. Perhaps he could see to it that the device met an untimely end. The Reikai's little toys tended to be woefully fragile.

He rested, caught somewhere between peaceful reverie and the oblivion of sleep. His two charges, the depressed little fox and the unsure little priestess, slept soundly nestled against him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so relaxed.

The early morning hours passed faster than they should have, and he startled into awareness when she stirred under his arm, curling into his body with the familiarity of a hundred nights together. She knew nothing more than the warmth and comfort around her. He realized a bare, muscular arm had draped over his shoulder at some point during the night, and sharp claws rested dangerously against the pale skin of Kagome's throat.

A single twitch could destroy her neck and kill her within moments. He stared down at Shippo's hand in lethargic disbelief. Not even in his wildest dreams could he have imagined such a juxtaposition of danger with safety. Still mostly asleep as she curled closer, she absently hummed as those claws slid over her skin, like she _enjoyed_ it.

He sucked in a sharp breath as she nuzzled her head under his chin and pressed herself closer, her arm creeping over his side. The warmth at his back shifted with a quiet hum, and he felt the fox bury his nose in his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to believe this moment could last.

Nothing was required other than _togetherness_.

No sign of danger, no underhanded dealings, no hidden motives.

Just this idyllic tranquility.

He'd witnessed enough shit to understand that anything too good to be true was either fake or one of life's cruel jokes before everything fell apart. With a tiny sigh of resignation, he dared to hope this would be an exception to the rule.

He was on the verge of dozing off again when something in her demeanor changed. She froze in his arms with a short intake of air. Perhaps she'd just realized who she was curled up against.

It wouldn't do for her to fret about his presence in her bed. They'd done nothing to be ashamed of and she was safe.

He pulled warm fingers down her back, mimicking an action he'd seen Yusuke do to his girlfriend. It had seemed to put Keiko at ease. Maybe it was a girl thing.

A tiny sound of pleasure escaped her throat as she relaxed under the touch and eventually fell back asleep.

He hadn't intended to sleep, but the next time he awoke, he realized he'd been mistaken in thinking he'd be able to resist the draw of so much comfort. He blinked in the silence, listening to the breaths of the others around him with quiet contemplation.

They would have much to do that day, but first, he'd need to find out why the idea of this new weakness was so terrifying that Shippo insisted on finding a remedy as soon as possible. Surely there was some aspect one or the other had blown a little bit out of proportion.

Kagome stirred slightly as she woke and he felt Shippo sigh at his back. He was pretty certain no one wanted to get up just yet. Fingers twitched at his waist, and he realized the fox had settled his hand there like it belonged. Removing the limb required more effort than he was willing to expend, so he ignored it. _For now._

Kagome, however, discovered Shippo's fingers and could not _ignore it_ as she sat up in sleepy disbelief. He frowned a little as half of the warmth surrounding him pulled away and fell off the bed with a muffled thump.

He frowned harder when Shippo put _all_ of his weight against him to lean over the bed and joke at her.

He scowled and ground his teeth together, contemplating the fastest way to get the irritating male off of him without his weapon in reach. _I can set the bed on fire, or…_ He blinked at the pale skin of his long torso and the waistband of soft pants riding low over his hips, then decisively reached out and pinched the edge of one cheek through the soft fabric.

Shippo squeaked like a mouse and jerked violently in response, falling off the bed in a haphazard pile beside Kagome.

"He _pinched_ me!" he accused, staring as Hiei pulled the extra pillow to his face.

He hid from the sun, relaxing into the bedding with a quiet sigh.

* * *

Some time after the others went downstairs to greet her family for the day and eat breakfast, he sat up and stared around the room. Within a few moments of cutting her loose the night before, she'd managed to throw herself against him with enough force to leave a crack in her closet door.

Shippo had complained more than once that she didn't have enough room on her bed, but there was very little space to maneuver in her bedroom at all.

He eavesdropped in curiosity as they joked at the kitchen table. The mother would be gone much of the day, and wished her daughter safe travels if she needed to leave again unexpectedly. Aiko was a strange human mother.

He'd spent countless hours ignoring humans while lounging on empty rooftops or in the concealing branches of trees. Despite all that practice, he couldn't tune out every voice, every thought, every shouted warning from humans fretting over their children's safety while doing mundane things like crossing a street or talking to strangers.

And here was this odd woman, Aiko, sending her daughter off into places unknown to face enemies beyond her wildest nightmares. The only other humans he'd seen walk into dangers like these had parents that knew nothing about their lifestyles or cared little about their wellbeing.

He'd seen into her mind. She understood there were real dangers, but movie monsters and villains from horror movies were too cookie-cutter, black and white, good versus evil. She might have been less inclined to believe good would always prevail if she'd seen a fraction of what her daughter had struggled against.

He listened as her thoughts sang through a tiny prayer for her children to find happiness and good fortune. Simple wishes for a family so very far from simple.

The front door opened and closed as the brother left for school, followed shortly by the mother for her day of tasks. The eccentric grandfather muttered happily about ancient texts describing a ceremony to honor the sun as he shuffled around outside. A large crash accompanied his rummaging through old materials, but he cackled in delight instead of shouting in dismay, so Hiei didn't feel compelled to race to his aid.

The others were silent as they made their way back upstairs and stepped into the room.

Hiei took a deep breath and crossed his legs in a meditative pose. ‟I understand there is a problem."

The two exchanged a quick glance.

‟Shippo left his charm on the windowsill with his pants. I have most of the details he had already discovered or considered. Do you have anything you wish to add?" He opened his eyes to look intently at Kagome.

She squirmed in mild discomfort. She _almost_ felt like she was being scolded by a parent.

He turned his attention to the sulking fox. Hiei could see him contemplating fetching his jeans from the windowsill to shut him out of his thoughts, but Hiei had placed himself directly in his path for that exact reason. He wanted no one hiding from this conversation. ‟You should have waited. Three days would have not made any noticeable difference." He paused and briefly glanced at Kagome. ‟Except that last night would not have occurred."

She flushed pink and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

‟Why would you rush to find a solution when your resources were so woefully limited?"

‟You saw what she was like. It's _bad_."

‟But under normal circumstances, such a thing might never come to pass."

Shippo scoffed. ‟Normal circumstances do _not_ describe Kagome's life. She attracts trouble like I attract women." Kagome rolled her eyes and tugged him by the ear to sit with her across from Hiei.

He stared at the fox in quiet contemplation, watching as he shifted uneasily under the weight of that gaze. ‟Based on your previous attempts and what I picked up in her mind, I feel a change is in order."

They both looked at him with a desperate kind of hope that made him a little worried. He understood how maddening the experience was for Shippo, but did the struggle affect her so badly as well? ‟Our current goal is to find out what's wrong and fix it. If we cannot fix it, then we must find a way to control it."

‟Well, _duh_ ," Shippo muttered quietly, planting his chin on his palm with a scowl.

‟And what have you discovered about its cause?" Hiei asked, expectantly.

Shippo paused and looked a little embarrassed. ‟Nuthin," he grumbled with a pout.

‟Well," Kagome interjected, hoping to help him save a little bit of dignity. ‟We know for sure his suggestion magic does it. We _suspect_ it might be more generic than that, but we haven't been able to check with any other type of magic. And we haven't been able to figure out _why_."

‟If your troubles have been solely due to experiences with _them_ ," he nodded at Shippo with a scowl, "then why not just purify the tail off the next one that dares come within ten feet of you?"

She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm too trusting," she admitted. "And kitsune are sneaky," she added on with a slightly accusing look.

Shippo nodded sagely. "Both are true."

"You seem to know much about it already, but one of my trips to the past I met two kitsune. A…" she paused. "A brother and sister, I think. The brother was the one that bit me. It was a small wound, but it bled for days. I couldn't get it to clot."

Shippo leaned back. "I had to use some magic to nudge it along. It was how we figured out that even the scary kind of suggestions can set her off, and not just the ones that are intentionally trying to get her into bed."

Hiei reached out and brushed his thumb along the slowly healing mark on her neck. "That is a very tender place to have someone's teeth," he commented. "Based on your state of mind last night, I can see how such a thing came to pass."

Kagome felt like she would be permanently pink.

Hiei did a quick tally of the magics both he and Shippo had at their disposal to test against her, and again eyed the woefully small size of her room.

‟I believe restraints were wise, given the lack of resources at hand, but moving forward it will be a poor choice. The experience of being trapped agitates the mind. Instead of fighting against _everything_ , perhaps she should be fighting _only_ against the haze that causes the loss of control."

Kagome tilted her head in thought. "Much of our struggle the last few days has been trying to not go overboard while working on exposure to the magic that's causing me such trouble. You're suggesting to just _run_ with it?"

Shippo balked. Would Hiei be able to stop her from going too far? Would he _want to_?

Hiei narrowed his eyes at the fox that dared to second-guess his motives. * **Unlike _some people_ around here, she hasn't openly flaunted a burning desire to get in anyone's pants, so _no_ , I won't let her make a fool of herself.***

Hiei turned his attention back to her. "With the two of us present to deflect you, I see no problem with it. It eventually worked well enough last night."

She looked away as Shippo shifted in discomfort.

He looked at Shippo from the corner of his eyes. "I _can_ see a problem with _you_ , however."

Shippo scowled, glaring down at his fists.

"If you're not going to tell her, I will. Your problem needs to be out in the open, _now_ , if we're going to help her get over _her_ problem."

Shippo growled in frustration and rubbed his hands down his face as he tucked his knees to his chest. He sighed and rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling. " _Fine_." He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his forehead briefly as he took a deep breath. "Miko magic turns me on."

Silence.

He dared to peek at her.

She was staring at him in disbelief with her mouth hanging open.

"Oh _geez_ ," he muttered, reaching over to push her jaw closed. "It's not _that_ shocking. Look at it this way, now that you know the truth, you can feel free to just go all-out during combat practice. It _doesn't_ hurt me. Just makes me uncomfortable." He cleared his throat and turned his face away, his cheeks pink. "That's why I ran last night. You played dirty and hit below the belt. I couldn't defend against that kind of attack and I…"

He looked down at his fingers, watching as they clenched into a tight fist. "It's really hard to fight against the drive to touch and play when every instinct, every sound, _every scent_ is telling me it's what you want, and I _know_ it's not what you really want. I'm sorry, Kagome."

She cleared her throat, turning scarlet at the idea that crossed her mind. "Um, maybe we can work on both issues, then."

Shippo laughed, his voice sounding harsh in the small room. "Now I'm _convinced_ you lost your mind while out on your time adventures without me."

She stared down at her hands. "If you think exposure and learning how to control my reactions to whatever this thing is will help me, wouldn't the same work for you?"

He _whined_ as he curled in on himself. "I can't do that," he whispered. His gaze flicked up to hers for the briefest amount of time. "Not to you."

Hiei glanced at Kagome, weighing her concern for her friend. "Shippo, if you are uncomfortable allowing her to use her magic in your presence to fight back against the haze, then I can contact Kurama to take your place."

Shippo flinched like he'd been slapped. He opened his eyes to protest and saw Kagome quietly shaking her head at Hiei in refusal. It cemented his resolve. Until she could accept Kurama's presence without being worried or cautious of his intentions, he couldn't allow him such an intimate place in her life.

But opening himself up to this _torture_ …

He squeezed his eyes shut. They knew not what they asked of him. How far could he stretch his willpower before he snapped and did something they'd all regret?

She didn't want that. She didn't deserve it.

And surely she didn't want him to suffer needlessly.

A warm hand settled over his own. * **You aren't alone.** * Hiei leaned forward into Shippo's space and said aloud for them both to hear, "I will help."

Shippo's eyes popped open at the closeness of his voice. He stared down into the younger male's eyes, transfixed by the odd slivers of pale grey creeping into the normal glowing red.

Shippo tilted his head in concern at the strange sight. "Are you alright?"

Hiei _smiled_. "Yes."

Kagome and Shippo exchanged a worried glance, both thinking the same thing: _What the hell?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiei smiling? v. ominous. Either someone's about to die or something's very wrong.
> 
>  **Also** : Sorry about the delay. This chapter and the next ones that come after it are extra tricky. I'll be taking my time working through them until they feel right :) But, if you're enjoying what's going on, leaving a note to say so really _really_ makes my entire day.


	35. New Place, New Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If they're going to try tackling the problem(s), some basic rules might need to be laid out, _just in case._

Hiei considered the two of them with a long look, then peered around her room. "We should not, however, attempt anything further in such a small location."

Her brows furrowed. "In my room?" She couldn't imagine what he thought might happen that her room wouldn't be sufficient space.

He pointed at the fresh crack in her closet door before he clarified, "In this house."

Her eyes widened in dismay and she looked at Shippo with a growing sense of unease. "We should take this exercise _outside_?"

Hiei shrugged, not bothered by the idea.

Shippo slumped a little. "My place has a much bigger floor plan. We could go there."

Hiei glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Are you willing to have belongings broken?"

Shippo shrugged. "I don't keep my treasures there."

She hummed and tapped her lip in consideration. "Should I bring anything?"

Shippo turned toward her, looking for any hint of understanding in her eyes. She either had no problem with what they might end up doing, or she had _no idea_ what might happen. He swallowed, feeling a sinking sense of trepidation.

* **Why do you assume things will go in such a drastic direction? She will be safe.** *

He sighed, finding it difficult to think of anything other than the worst scenarios. "Just bring your regular gear. If something comes up and Reikai returns your vesper early, you'll have everything you need." He sighed. "No telling if you get to pick the next time you travel."

She packed her bow and quiver into a carrying case and stuffed her outfit into her pouch before slipping it over her shoulder. She paused outside her house, closing her eyes to check the status of the shrine's protections before tweaking it with a tiny boost. "Is it far?"

"Nah, we can walk." Plus, it would give him time to think. He looped her weapon case over a shoulder and threw his free arm around her back. Hiei vanished from their side. Shippo figured he'd follow them from a safe distance and mysteriously appear in the right place.

She glanced at him as they strolled slowly down the shrine steps. "I meant what I said a while back. If my magic causes you so much distress, I should take it back so you can live without that trouble."

His heart fell. "It's not like that." She might not ever truly understand how much he treasured keeping this piece with him, always. "Even if it brought me _pain_ , I don't think I'd want to let it go," he muttered.

He noticed her slowing and tugged her to keep up beside him. "The only reason I'd give this back willingly is if it would save your life," he grinned down at her. "Just let me have my troubles. It brings me peace."

"You're so weird."

He shrugged. "It's my normal."

He skipped ahead a few steps and turned to face her, walking backwards along the sidewalk. "I need to stop in a store up ahead. Would you like a snack or a drink?" She shook her head. "I'll be right back, then."

He returned a few minutes later with a small paper package.

"Oh, what did you get?"

He shrugged. "Just something little that I've been out of for a while." He tucked it in his pocket and put his arm around her shoulder. ‟Your vesper, do you remember how many tasks it had listed for you to do?" Shippo surreptitiously drew her attention away from the curious store clerk staring out as they passed, especially the ridiculous thumbs up the idiot human flashed in his direction.

She sighed. "I don't remember. I don't even want to think about what I might be encountering next. The listings were so _vague_."

‟I thought they'd have brought it back by now. Maybe Greg discovered something new and exciting."

‟New and _exciting_ ," Kagome parroted with a very unenthusiastic cheer.

‟Aw, c'mon Kagome, technology can be fun!"

‟Yeah, especially when you manage to come up with some dirty way to use it within five minutes of seeing what it can do."

He pointed at the building on their right. ‟This is the place." He held the door open for her and she felt a tingle as they entered a sparse lobby. ‟Small deterrent spell," he explained. ‟Makes burglars think that very protective animals live in these apartments." Her eyebrows rose. ‟It's not exactly a lie," he winked.

They took an elevator to the top floor of the somewhat subtle six-story apartment complex. She toed off her shoes after they stepped through the front door, admiring the length of windows that gave an unhindered view of the surrounding neighborhoods.

"My kitchen is pretty bare right now. I'll put in an order for some food. Any requests?"

She shook her head, then noticed Hiei standing on a balcony beyond a set of glass doors. She let him in with a friendly smile. "You found us!"

He seemed amused but didn't comment as he placed his sword by the balcony door and knelt to remove his shoes.

"Is this whole floor one apartment? You weren't kidding about the floor space." She poked her head through the few doors she could find. ‟You don't have much furniture."

"Yeah, I don't often come here, especially since you've been back. I just have enough stuff to get by in case of emergency."

"What kinds of emergencies?"

"Rain, mostly."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "What's wrong with rain?"

"Conflicts with the fire. Makes me tired. Hiei probably has the same trouble."

Kagome turned to Hiei to see what kind of input he had about mundane things like rain. She watched as he shrugged out of his cloak and folded it before carefully setting it atop his boots.

‟Rain doesn't bother me. I'm half ice." He casually flopped onto one of the couches with a hefty sigh. ‟Gregory apologized for the delay with your device and expects to return it in the next day or two. Almost forgot until I heard you talking about it on the street."

"Oh." She hadn't known Hiei long, but this behavior of his seemed _off._ He didn't seem like the type that would cuddle _or flop_. She glanced at Shippo, who gave her a half-frown and a lifted shoulder as he held his phone to his ear.

She sat on one of the chairs near the couch and looked at him. "Are you sure you feel okay?" she asked, watching him carefully.

He hummed, tilting his head back against the top edge of the furniture with closed eyes. "Feel great," he muttered.

Shippo dropped onto the couch next to Hiei and eyed him warily. ‟Groceries are on the way. I also ordered some takeout from a local joint."

Kagome bit her lip and leaned back into the cushions of her chair, watching Hiei's uncharacteristic behavior. He seemed more like someone who would prefer to stand or sit against the wall in some uncomfortable position, always on guard and ready for anything at a moment's notice, especially in an unfamiliar location. She glanced at Shippo. ‟How safe is this place?"

He shrugged. ‟A nice couple lives on the first floor, but they're out of the country on some business venture." He closed his eyes and focused for a moment. ‟No one else is around, so if we end up bringing down the building, we shouldn't have to worry about collateral damage."

Kagome laughed nervously. ‟Come on, whatever happened last night barely dinged one door. How much worse could this possibly get?"

Shippo cocked an eyebrow at her.

‟Anyways, I didn't mean if the building was safe to _destroy_ ," she said, rubbing her forehead. ‟I meant, should we put up a barrier around the place like we have at the shrine?"

He shook his head. ‟No, nothing big like that. It'll draw too much attention if anyone walking by passes too close. It makes sense on a shrine, but not so much at an apartment. We'll do a small one later around my floor before we try anything."

She hummed, fingering the edge of her shirt. ‟So, we're _here_ because… my room did not have enough space?"

Shippo slouched back against the couch. ‟That, and I'd rather _not_ make the next attempt in the middle of the courtyard at the shrine." He sighed and added on in a vague mutter, ‟I can just imagine how that would look when your mother comes back from her errands."

Kagome bit her lip, trying to think of anything that might make him a little less stressed. ‟So, what are we going to do, play _Keep Away From Kagome_? The world's first game of sexy tag, and I'm _'it'_?"

Shippo laughed. ‟Nah, it wouldn't be the first time sexy tag has been played." He winked before adding, ‟Trust me, I would know."

Kagome rolled her eyes with a smile.

Hiei sighed. ‟It doesn't matter. Depending on what's actually wrong, you might attack either one of us in any number of ways. Maybe your reactions to him are due to the circumstances surrounding the magic. In another situation you might try to murder one of us, instead."

Kagome cringed and glanced at Shippo in dismay. If she'd tried to kill him instead of kiss him, things might have ended up a little worse. She felt a little better about the craziness of the whole ordeal.

Shippo scoffed and leaned forward in his chair with a wide grin. ‟She couldn't murder me even if she _tried_."

Hiei shrugged. ‟We'll figure this thing out, one way or another."

She frowned at his nonchalant response. He was there for the _end_ of their last attempt the previous evening, but he hadn't been present for what felt like the worst of the tries. "But what if it's more of what we've already gone through? Do you realize what you're asking us to risk?"

Shippo leaned into her view. "Do _you_?" She blushed at his intense look. "You said things and behaved completely out of control when that madness took over. You're asking me—" he paused, glancing at Hiei, "— _us_ , to try and keep you from doing something that _at least_ one of us will regret in the morning. Do you realize what that's _like_?" He leaned closer, his gaze dropping briefly to her lips. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the most you've experienced is _kissing_ , and very little at that."

She averted her gaze so that she couldn't see either of them.

He stood and crossed his arms, his lips pressed together in frustration as he stared her down. " _What_ are you asking of us?"

She turned back to look up at him and shook her head. "I don't know what you mean. I'm not asking for anything from either of you."

Hiei sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. ‟I think he wants to lay down some ground rules to avoid stepping over any lines."

Shippo waved his hand at Hiei with an angry look. ‟ _He_ doesn't think it's helpful to keep you tied up in case you go all crazy. I don't exactly relish the idea of giving you free reign to do whatever you damned well please."

She got to her feet and glared at him with her hands on her hips. ‟But you said it didn't bother you that I'd tried to jump you!"

He rubbed his hands down his face in exasperation. ‟It doesn't bother me that you'd wanna do whatever. It _bothers_ me that you aren't in your right mind! The worst part is that anything I go along with is like taking advantage of a drunk girl who can't say no. In every moralistic society or court of law, that's also known as _rape._ "

She instantly deflated and dropped into her chair, staring up at him in shock. He knelt at her feet and took her chilled fingers before turning his emerald gaze up to hers, willing her to understand his dilemma. He would do nearly anything for her, _within reason_. "Whether this ends up being another moment of you being crazy for kisses or trying to murder me with the closest thing you can get your hands on, I need to know. _Now_ , before you lose your damned mind, what you absolutely do not want to do."

‟Well, I _obviously_ don't want to kill anyone."

He shook his head. ‟Let's think in the other direction."

The other direction? Crazy for kisses?

What did he _expect_ to happen? She thought back to how quickly she'd been ready to throw all caution to the wind with a complete stranger _._

She froze, realizing that such a thing could easily occur again, especially when she was with people she trusted. She blurted the first thing that came to mind, "I can't get pregnant."

Shippo couldn't help himself and laughed aloud, the heavy atmosphere lifted by her blunt (and somewhat extreme) response. He looked up at her with glowing eyes. "Kagome, there are a thousand things we could do that wouldn't result in that. And anyways, I dunno about _him_ , but kitsune _frequently_ use sex as a tool to get what they want. We don't have kits until we _want_ to have them." He wiggled his fingers. ‟ _Magic_."

(He didn't bother to bring up the sheer number of adorable kits that would have taken over the world by now if it were any other way.)

Hiei sighed and answered with clinical boredom. "Supposedly fertile only during mating cycles, once per decade. Still about three years away from my next."

' _Supposedly, Hiei? That_ _'s confidence inspiring._ ' Hiei ignored his thought. Shippo rolled his eyes and then had to bite back a grin as he noticed her glowing pink cheeks. "Got anything more specific?"

She swallowed, staring between the two males. Hiei didn't bother to look at either of them. His arms were thrown along the top edge of the couch and he looked completely at ease. If he hadn't just spoken, she might have guessed he could be asleep. What the _hell_ had she gotten herself into? "Um, clothes stay on?"

Shippo smirked and shrugged. "Alright, anything else?"

She clasped her fingers in front of her, staring at him with wide eyes. "I don't know what else to say," she whispered. "Is there anything you _don_ _'t_ want from me?"

He watched her for a moment, the budding joy at the idea he might get to play slowly fading as the gravity sunk in. ‟I don't want to hurt you."

‟He says that but he means something else," Hiei muttered, his eyes still closed.

Shippo growled in irritation, shooting him an angry glare.

‟I'll tell her everything," Hiei threatened, but it lost a measure of seriousness as he punctuated with a yawn.

‟Why do you keep _doing_ this to me?" Shippo demanded, standing suddenly.

He shrugged with a sigh, finally opening his eyes to look at the fox with lazy indifference. ‟You owe her the truth, just as you must stop lying to yourself."

‟Lying to myself about what?" he demanded, feeling about two seconds from throwing the rude little youkai from the balcony.

An image of bare skin and tangled limbs flashed in his thoughts, just a mere flicker, but enough to make him take his seat and shut his mouth in surprise as he stared at the floor.

* **You want to be yourself. You want everything that makes you happy, but you** **'re afraid she** _ **might**_ **give you what you want even if it** **'s to her own detriment.** *

Shippo squeezed his eyes shut. ' _She_ _'s always so damned giving. It's not fair to her. She deserves her own way in life.'_

* **She has found her own way in life just fine. Aren** **'t you the one always spouting that bullshit about time finding a way? If it's not meant to happen, lightning will strike. Maybe I'll decide better of it and eviscerate you. Or** _ **I**_ **might throw** _ **you**_ **over the fucking balcony. I** **'m exhausted watching you agonize over what this girl might want.** *

Kagome watched the two of them as Shippo glared and Hiei stared in silent communication.

Shippo broke eye contact with a sigh and rubbed his face. ‟I'm sorry. Look, you've heard me joke about this more than a few times. The stuff about playing, teaching you stuff, whatever? It's not just an offer to keep you from making dumb mistakes."

With everything that had happened once Hiei had released her the night before, she'd nearly forgotten what Shippo had told her before he'd fled through her window. His various expressions of misery from the last few nights flicked through her thoughts as he continued, looking sheepish. ‟It's what I do. It's normal for me."

He watched her turn his words over in her head for a moment, pink flushing over her cheeks as the thought began to take hold. He leaned closer, nearly off the edge of his seat in anticipation. "I don't want to hurt you," he repeated, ‟but I _want_ to be myself. I want to _play_."

She absently tugged the pillow from her chair and pulled it to her chest as she stared at him, unsure how she felt or what to say.

Hiei sighed and sat up, pinning the two with a serious look. ‟This has been a whole lot of talking for not very much accomplished." He stood and stretched, reaching high with a casual flick of his shoulders.

He didn't spend much time without his cloak, and Kagome found her eyes drawn to the bare skin revealed by his sleeveless shirt. A pale scar circled his bicep, the only evidence he'd briefly lost his arm some weeks ago, and she was interested in the jagged black pattern curling around his forearm. Was it a marking like Shippo's hidden stripes, or was it a tattoo?

He looked between them for a moment before he crossed his arms to pace the length of the room. ‟You've both laid down your rules. Let's get to the problem. The timing indicates that the issue stems from either the weird little human or the bastard desert kitsune. Are there other parts to the story that you have neglected to tell him?"

She glanced away, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

‟Parts that _matter,_ " he clarified.

‟Maybe all the parts of the story matter…" she murmured. ‟I just hadn't gotten around to it, yet."

‟We'll get to that soon enough. Your magic seems to do a halfway decent job to fight off the effects, once you're of the mind to do so." He rolled his head to stretch his neck, then shrugged his shoulders in wide movements before he sat on the floor with crossed legs. "This is going to take some time." He looked up at her and held out his hand. ‟Sit with me. Let us explore your mindset as the magic takes over."

She placed her hand in his and sat in front of him, distracted by something that had just caught her attention. "Hiei?"

He had already closed his eyes to turn his attention inwards, but he hummed to indicate he was listening.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" He looked at her with confusion. She'd had plenty of time to gaze at and admire the various shades of red that made up his irises, but…

Shippo leaned over and took another look. "Yeah, I noticed that this morning. You're going grey on us, man." The color had seemed to leech out of his eyes in narrow streaks, perhaps not very noticeable unless you were sitting within a few feet.

He blinked, and then he vanished.

"I think he just went to go peek in a mirror. Kagome, your fingertips..."

She glanced down and saw that her left fingers were greying again. "Shippo, I'm really worried that this is a _thing_."

Hiei returned a moment later, looking a little disturbed. "It's not just my eyes. My hair, too." He fingered the strands near the starburst pattern. "There is more white than there was before."

Kagome held up her fingers to show Hiei what they'd been talking about. "There's something _wrong_."

"Do you feel ill?"

"No, but…" Her power flared brightly and her hand looked like it briefly caught fire. She winced. "It feels like I'm purifying myself, and then the grey is gone for a while."

Hiei narrowed his eyes. _This is like those cult members. An odd coloring. Reports of strange behaviors._ "We'll need to keep a close eye on it. Have you noticed anything amiss?" He looked at Shippo with a critical gaze.

"Nothing."

‟Any strangers near the shrine since you've been back? Near you?" he asked, looking into her eyes for any matching symptoms.

She shook her head.

 _If the madness she experiences and the illness that_ _'s begun popping up in Makai are related, perhaps finding a way to beat it here will prove beneficial._ And if he now suffered from the same thing, then discovering what triggered the insanity might help avoid a very _messy_ incident.

Shippo claimed Kagome couldn't kill him even if she tried, but he didn't want to find out if the same could be said about _him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been feeling pretty uncertain about this chapter. original drafts went in a completely different direction, but in the last three months, the relationship threads have shifted quite a lot from where I'd anticipated they would be at this point. As things come together, my uncertainty fades, but _still_...


	36. Secondhand Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio plays with magic. Sharing is caring, unless it's like this, which probably doesn't count. _Or does it?_

Hiei sat again and held out his hand for her to take. "Nothing to do about it right now. Let's begin. Barrier?"

Shippo closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips to the floor as he lounged across from them, dropping a subtle barrier around the apartment with a shiver of burning magic. He nodded once everything was ready.

She reached for Hiei, and he sighed as the connection spanned the chasm between them. Each time their powers mingled like this, he felt more and more like never letting go.

Her mind was like the gentle rippling of a wide lake on a windless morning. He floated easily in the quiet warmth, sifting through her flickers of nervousness, the creeping shadows of exhaustion and worry, the weighty burden of pending responsibilities that spanned centuries, the lingering sadness of having a hand in _parting the realms…_ He paused at that one. He'd have to get more details, later.

Hiei nodded slowly. "Everything is as it should be. Shippo, use the smallest touch of your suggestion magic while I monitor."

He couldn't quite hold back a little grin of mischief as he brushed a fingertip across Kagome's open palm and then drew back to watch the show.

The single drop of the kitsune's magic disturbed the still lake of her mind like a sudden storm on a summer afternoon. He watched as the glowing brightness of her magic flung open like a gaping maw, sucking down that brush of energy like an endless black hole. At the same time, everything that made her mind work the way it did shifted into a single purpose. He ripped his hand from hers, his eyes flying open.

Shippo nervously watched as she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, fisting her hands at her sides. Her magic flared brightly against the trace of his magic, and she shivered violently before flaring her magic again. She opened her eyes and shuddered with a great gasp of air. "Okay. Okay, I'm back. It helped being able to see it as it happened." She rubbed her hands over her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears of frustration before they fell. ‟Kami, what the heck _is_ that?"

Hiei thought over what he'd witnessed and considered the possibilities. Tilting his head, he rose to his knees and held his hand out for hers. ‟Again." He pulled her up to kneel with him so he could more easily reach her neck. ‟I will try magic of my own."

His ice heritage was usually kept dormant, sleeping and intentionally suppressed beneath his burning fire. It served him very little purpose, mostly a reminder of those who had once considered him too dangerous to be worthy of life. He knew what he was capable of, though, having survived and overcome all odds despite his dual nature.

His teammates had incorrectly assumed he'd used magic like Yukina's to heal Kagome's wounds weeks ago. He'd let them believe it to help disguise the truth of what they were witnessing. And while they'd been wrong, it didn't mean he was _incapable_ of such magic. He had just _never_ used this aspect of his magic on another person. It was far too intimate for casual use and required great care to avoid mistakes. There was a very real danger to cause more damage with the smallest slip in focus.

The only reason he knew it would work at all was because he'd paid close attention as Yukina had used her magic to heal. He'd listened to her thoughts and felt the sweetness of her energy curl against his wounded teammate. It had almost felt like he'd been intruding on a moment not meant to be witnessed by others.

 _Sweet_ did not describe his preferred methods. _Intimate_ did not describe his relationships with anyone. He could be careful, though, and as she reached for him, he knew his control would not waver.

He searched deep inside himself for the cool white light and nudged it forward. It blossomed in his chest, rolling from his lungs as a chilly mist that slipped from his lips and curled along the floor. He briefly wondered why Yukina preferred to use her hands to heal when it would be so much easier to simply breathe the magic forth. He eyed Kagome in contemplation. If he did this the easy way, it would put his face within an inch of hers, and if his guess was incorrect, she'd be close enough to make escaping without hurting her very difficult.

He focused and pulled the magic out along his arm, feeling the icy burn slide along his skin to his fingertips. With Shippo's efforts days before, the tiny wounds no longer needed this kind of attention to finish healing, but it gave him something to focus on.

She gasped in surprise at the first brush of his chilled fingers.

His eyes closed as he felt for the tiny broken edges of flesh that seemed reluctant to fully heal. His hand trembled slightly as his magic glowed along his fingers and crept into her skin. Her free hand slid up his arm to wrap loosely around his wrist and she sighed dreamily.

His eyes popped open as he realized he'd forgotten to monitor her mindset and saw that she was still kneeling calmly, a silly smile on her face as she blinked lethargically at him. ‟That was _really_ nice," she murmured.

Shippo hummed in thought. ‟Only _half_ of the problem came up that time," he commented with a sly grin. Hiei glanced at Shippo with a small frown but didn't dare ask him to spell out the very inappropriate thoughts clearly written all over his face.

He peered beneath his fingers to find both tiny red marks had vanished entirely. With a deep breath, he forced the magic back into submission and felt the heat flooding his limb as he released her. She sat back on the floor with a little sigh of regret once they no longer touched. ‟That's what it was like in the Makai."

‟What?"

‟When Kurama used his magic to help me, after that ambush. It was nice. Not compelling, just…" she sighed. ‟Something I'd like to roll around in. Something to keep and cherish. Something I want _more_ of." She wrapped her arms around her middle. ‟With someone you've just met, that kind of feeling can be scary because it's so unreal. Too good to be true, like the sweetest of lies." She bit her lip and briefly glanced up at Hiei. It went without saying that the feeling meant something a little different when you weren't strangers anymore.

‟If that's the case, then maybe Kurama wasn't trying to encourage you into a half-dead roll in the dirt. I guess he has earned back a _few_ points of my regard," Shippo said, leaning back on his elbows with a thoughtful look.

Hiei cocked an eyebrow but didn't dare give insight to his teammate's mindset when he'd employed such an unorthodox magic against the mysterious girl-in-questionable-need-of-rescue. He discreetly changed the subject away from Kurama's tendencies. ‟Your seal wasn't broken at that time. If it's a similar sensation, then perhaps that idea needs further consideration. Healing magic is like a gift. Something that cannot be used to take or harm. Let's try again with something different that is similar to an attack like kitsune suggestion." Hiei settled down across from her, cross-legged once more.

He held out his hands for one of hers. She _reached_ again, and he tapped into the power that was freely shared.

"I hesitated using this particular ability on you while we were in the Makai because I knew so little about the jewel's capabilities. I believe this will be safe enough, but my third eye is sensitive to your light. Please try to hold your magic back for as long as possible. This should be brief."

Kagome nodded and closed her eyes, trying to relax. Without using her magic to guard her mind from the start, she knew she'd probably be waking up somewhere weird.

She could sense Hiei's energy building toward something she'd never sensed before, like a dim, creeping numbness waiting just beyond her fingertips, and then _everything went dark_.

She was unsure how much time had passed once she became aware again, but it must have been hours. The sun had set, casting the room in a deep twilight, and she felt as though she were emerging from a long sleep. Her eyelids were heavy and she sighed in the darkness, comfortably lounging against something cool and soft.

The tip of a tongue and soft lips drew damp patterns across her bare skin, along an arm and over a shoulder toward her neck. Sharp teeth nibbled and nipped up her jaw as fragrant hair slid across her cheek.

A honey-sweet tongue dipped into her mouth, tracing teeth and lips, tasting and nibbling like one would slowly savor an expensive dessert, with deep appreciation for every nuance of flavor, every sigh and gasp that escaped her lips sipped by the mouth at hers.

She felt a breath shudder from her chest as her eyes slid closed in absolute bliss.

Shippo shifted uncomfortably. "Hiei, what's going on?" His voice sounded very far away, like the ghost of an old dream lingering at the edges of her mind.

Cool lips brushed down her jaw, against her neck, sliding along her collarbone with another hint of sharp fangs. A low growl of anticipation slipped through his lips, rumbling through the narrow spaces between them, shivering into her skin.

Clever fingers chilled a path down her abdomen, tickling and teasing with the flats of fingers and the deadly sharp tips of claws, drawing ever closer to places that _ached_ to be touched and stroked.

She shivered, her fingers threading into soft hair as he moved farther down her body.

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the first touch of that tongue against her, the enveloping mouth, the gentle laps and sucks and tender kisses mixed with teasing bites that dragged sighs and little gasps of pleasure from her throat.

Shippo rolled to his knees, staring in disbelief at what was happening right in front of him. "No, _seriously_ , what are you doing to her?"

Glowing eyes met hers in the darkness, his mouth curved in a wicked smirk as eagerness suffused his actions. He rose above her, tall and lean with luscious soft locks of hair framing his beautiful face as he joined them together.

Her eyes clenched shut against the pleasure of such an unexpected tightness. Her throat seized against the moan threatening to break free.

His hips moved, rotated, withdrew and surged against hers, building a shuddering friction of madness.

Cool lips found hers, sliding wetly as he licked into her mouth. Gasping breaths mingled as they moved together.

Hands clenched hips, motions growing more frantic as the pressure within her _grew_ , climbing higher and higher toward a peak that remained _just_ out of reach.

A twist of hips to hit a different spot and suddenly, _yes, right there, just a bit more_ —

"Shit, Hiei, you need to let go of her, _now._ " Something was unexpectedly jerked out of her hands and her fingers clenched around nothing but air just as she crested that edge, shuddering violently as her entire body seemed to _pulse_ in time with the contractions of her core.

Her vision slowly came back into focus to see the strange sight of Shippo half-covering Hiei with his body as they both stared at her from across the room. Her throat felt raw as though she'd been screaming. She was having difficulties catching her breath and her empty hands shook uncontrollably. It took her a moment to realize it was the middle of the day and she was still fully clothed.

Shippo scrambled off the younger male and shot a confused look between them. "Holy fuck, you guys just— what the _fuck_?"

She licked her lips, staring around herself in bewilderment. "Wh-what just happened?"

Hiei sat up and turned to Shippo, completely calm and collected. "We got caught in a feedback loop. My magic held her immobile, which made her reaction worse, so I had to use more magic. I fed her pieces of information to trick her mind into thinking it was getting what it wanted while I searched for the key, and I _might_ have found it."

"What do you mean _might_?"

"Well, you knocked me loose right at the end. I _suspected_ that would be where I'd find the answer we were looking for."

"That wasn't…?" she stopped mid-question and stared at both of them. Shippo's hair was too short. Hiei's hair was too _anti-gravity_. She searched her memory for what she'd _seen_ in the dark, and… "Did I just have sex _with Kurama_?"

Hiei briefly glanced away from them both, considered his response, then looked at her with resolve. "I did."

Kagome's hand very slowly found her lips in surprise. "Was that—" She paused and looked away from him. She could guess well enough that it had been a very personal, _and private_ , memory. "That was… amazing," she breathed.

Shippo scoffed. "Yeah, and he nearly got dusted for hanging on too long."

Kagome stared at her hands in concern. "Did my magic go haywire at the end? I feel _buzzy_."

Shippo nodded emphatically as Hiei frowned at him. "I can't get into her head to trick her unless I'm touching her. She's burned the fuck out of me in the past, but with the connection, it heals quickly. You don't really expect that her magic could kill me?"

Kagome shook her head in firm denial. "I don't think it can. I've felt your magic. There's really not enough darkness there to do much. Sorry, Hiei, you just aren't as evil as you want everyone to think."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't want people to think I'm evil, just dangerous."

"Man, whatever's making you turn grey is also making you talkative."

Hiei glared at Shippo.

"I'm not complaining! It's good to know what's on your mind instead of guessing at _everything_." A loud buzz echoed through the room. ‟Oh, food's here. What timing," he muttered, getting up to answer the intercom.

A strange detail of his memory caught in her thoughts. "Are we all so very cold to you?" she asked.

He tilted his head and glanced briefly at Shippo as he slipped out the front door to collect the packages. "Not everyone. Temperature doesn't concern me, anyways." He looked back at her with a curious expression. ‟Would you like to try that again? Another memory?"

Kagome still felt a little shell-shocked. She wasn't sure _exactly_ what had happened in the memory. It had been strong impressions and feelings, an overload of sensation belonging to a body with parts she didn't have. _Weird_. Swallowing nervously, she shrugged. ‟I don't know. It's a little unsettling. I understand that what I just experienced didn't happen to me, but _during_ it felt normal enough, and now I feel…" she rubbed her arms and trailed off. The next time she saw Kurama would be _really_ awkward. Hopefully she wouldn't see him for at least another week or two, just long enough to dull the memory of what it felt like to have him-

‟It was a hasty choice to share that memory of him. I didn't know if you'd appreciate a memory with a female, and the other partners I've had were far less appealing."

‟What was that magic?" she asked.

‟A binding curse. I was uncertain how you'd react, and in case you tried to kill me, I'd have enough time to escape. I _did_ say it was not helping to tie you up, and it was true. The longer I held on, the stronger the reaction became, and the more magic I had to use to keep you from lashing out. I'm still uncertain if you would have attempted to kill me had I released you earlier than I did. I resorted to the memory to distract you from fighting back so hard."

‟And you think this is something the jewel is doing?"

‟I think the jewel _wants_ something."

She furrowed her brows. ‟What could a… well…" she trailed off and bit her lip. ‟What could it possibly want?" She stood to help as Shippo nudged the door open with his foot, several paper packages balanced in his arms.

Hiei snorted. ‟What every semi-sentient cursed artifact wants: _more_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I'm not sure if this chapter counts as an MM or MF because ?!? But once you've read it and know what it is, I guess you can go back and read it as either way because it's JUST vague enough ;) I wrote most of this chapter on November 30, giggling madly at the whole thing. (funny story, it was originally something very different -and absolutely M/F- that I'd poached from a draft smut chapter written way back in july but didn't seem to fit right, so I replaced pretty much every line and only kept the general idea. original version to be posted in my outtakes later on.)


	37. To Poke a Sleeping Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One should never poke a dragon, sleeping or not, unless permission has been granted first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg, this chapter was NOT PLANNED and it JUST HAPPENED and I'm NOT disappointed. I don't even know what the heck these guys are up to sometimes - it just ends up this way! Enjoy?

Hiei took a seat next to the small kitchen table and watched as the other two tucked groceries away in cabinets and the refrigerator. ‟So, no more of my memories. Would you like me to use my imagination, instead?"

Shippo choked on a laugh and nearly dropped a package of rice. ‟You could always borrow some of mine," he offered with a grin.

Kagome groaned. ‟No, that might actually be worse if any of the stories I've heard are true."

Shippo handed her a tea kettle to fill with water as Hiei laced his fingers together, a frown forming on his lips. ‟Are you even interested in finding the key, to fixing whatever this is that is wrong?"

Kagome furrowed her brows as she looked at him with surprise. ‟Yes, of course!"

"Then some kind of allowances should be made. We have determined that the problem is not just the kitsune suggestion."

Shippo perched on the countertop, watching as she set the kettle on the stove and clicked the burner on high. "I'm not sure if I'm more glad or worried."

* **You might want to reserve judgment. This issue might be more serious and widespread than either of us know.** *

Shippo briefly glanced at her, remembering the calls he'd made a few days prior to ask for help from Sesshoumaru and Hu. He met Hiei's eyes and realized he might know more than he was letting on. What was he not telling them?

Hiei touched a hand to his chin as he considered their options. ‟Your responses to different kinds of magic seem to indicate that certain forms of attack result in you losing control, while others have a smaller, less pronounced effect."

Shippo pulled three cups from a cabinet and rinsed the dust from them before setting them on the table. Was he not saying more because he didn't know for certain, or because he didn't want them to worry? Surely he wouldn't hide helpful information when it came to her safety. He opened a box of assorted teas and placed it on the table for the others to pick their preferred blend.

Hiei glanced at Shippo with a short sigh before turning his attention to Kagome and the kettle she extended to fill his cup. ‟I get the impression that the jewel wants the magic that is being used against you. Maybe it's some immeasurable cursed artifact greed, or it could be a natural reaction to try and bolster defense."

She hummed in agreement as she poured. ‟Those ideas make some sense."

Shippo smartly waited until she'd set the hot container back on the stove before adding in an idea of his own. ‟Maybe it's related to that four souls legend, and the jewel really wants you to have a foursome," he teased.

She stared at him like he'd grown an extra head as he herded her back to the table with a grin.

Hiei blinked and pulled his communicator from his pocket. ‟Should I call Kurama, or will you?" he asked with total seriousness. ‟Or maybe I can call Koenma instead. I'm sure he'd love to be included."

Shippo's grin melted into a frown as he glared at Hiei. He wasn't supposed to _encourage_ this kind of behavior! She was going to end up having some kind of panic attack.

Kagome waved her hands in dismay as she stared between the two of them. ‟No, no, that's a terrible idea!"

‟What, the foursome or the suggested participants?"

She hid her face in her hands. ‟Both!"

He laughed and poked her in the side as the intercom buzzed to announce their takeout had arrived.

Several boxes of fragrant foods were arranged on a tray before he shooed the others out the balcony door. With perfect sunshine and a subtle breeze, the roof was an ideal place to eat and relax, high enough to be out of sight of any prying eyes.

Shippo eyed Hiei in contemplation. ‟I wasn't sure if you'd be a sweets or spices kinda guy, so I got a little of both."

Hiei peered down into a box of chicken and picked up a sauced-slick morsel with his chopsticks. "When we connect and use the power of the jewel, we have used the power for ourselves, boosting some aspect of our own ability for our own ends. Reading minds does not inflict magic on another, so before today, I've never directly used my power on Kagome while we were connected. I've used it on _you_ to take control of your magic and turn it against you," he pointed his piece of chicken at Shippo with a smirk before adding on, "and you have used your magic on _me._ "

Shippo leaned back in the sunshine and threaded his fingers behind his head, a grin creeping over his lips as he thought about some of his previous antics against Hiei's magic. The food wasn't going anywhere, so he closed his eyes against the bright sunlight and lounged in the warmth, crossing his legs at the ankles with a deep, relaxed sigh.

Hiei's fire was always so temptingly close, and he hadn't had nearly enough time practicing his newest skill. So _temptingly_ close... and a little strange looking, today. His fingers twitched as he followed the flickering element swirling within Hiei's spirit. Odd little sparks flashed intermittently as his focus slid through the burning warmth. A disturbingly familiar violet that _didn't belong_ twisted out of sight at the edge of his awareness.

Shippo sat up in sudden alarm and looked at Hiei, who had been ignoring his prodding while he nibbled at the edge of a piece of spicy chicken. His attention was riveted to Kagome's chopsticks as she poked around in a container for some choice bit of food.

He narrowed his eyes in sudden suspicion, reached out for Hiei's fire magic, and _squeezed_.

Hiei choked out a gasp and the chopsticks holding half-eaten chicken fell from stilled fingertips.

Kagome froze under the sudden onslaught of Hiei's aura flaring wildly out of control, and without moving she turned wary eyes in his direction. He watched her, motionless, a slow curl of smoke slipping between his parted lips. She shivered at the expression on his face, turned just far enough that Shippo couldn't see the glowing, empty gaze.

Her magic rose in defense of the visible threat, sparking brightly in the air as shining pink suffused her hands.

The twisting violet that _didn't belong_ had exploded into activity, buzzing through Hiei's mind like a thunderstorm. Shippo felt his heart sink. Perhaps his intuition had been spot-on, but the hasty action to find out if he was right had been a _very_ bad idea. He waited, watching for the first sign of what Hiei might do.

They were at a breathless standstill for an entire minute. Hiei's magic rose from his skin in visible waves of shimmering heat as he stared at her.

‟Hiei?" she eventually spoke, tensing as he flinched at the sound of her voice. A low growl rumbled through the air. ‟Hiei, it's alright," she whispered, carefully holding her ground as she watched him. She clearly remembered the last time he'd been on edge and she'd tried to retreat from him. He'd been on her in a flash. She could probably escape him if she could remove her seal, but he was mere feet away and looked ready to kill something.

Shippo knew he had to do something to draw his attention from her. He rolled quietly to his feet and called his name, readying a stance to defend against the inevitable attack. Hiei did not turn his gaze away from Kagome, so he edged sideways until Hiei could see him.

Hiei's burning, empty gaze snapped in his direction like a magnet and his lips pulled back in a snarl before he launched himself forward.

Shippo cursed and dodged away from Kagome, feeling the swipe of a burning hand miss his arm by inches as Hiei turned to follow and lost his footing against the smooth tile roof.

Kagome gasped as Hiei slid several feet in the wrong direction, then kicked off a pipe to throw himself at Shippo again. ‟Shippo, what did you _do_?"

‟Fuck, _nothing_! I was just—" He dodged a black flaming fist aimed squarely for his chest and Hiei rolled past him with a snarl. ‟Damnit, I wasn't expecting him to—" Hiei flashed past him and caught him in the chin with clawed fingertips, leaving a set of three red lines that felt like they were _on fire_. Shippo gasped in shock and pressed a hand to his face.

Hiei flipped in the air to launch another attack and Shippo reached out for the burning magic, yanking him off-course before slamming him into the rooftop with enough force to shake the building. He held him pressed against the tiles as he mentally scrambled for a way to diffuse the situation without causing permanent damage, but Hiei used brute strength and sheer willpower to get back to his feet and flashed impossibly fast out of Shippo's sight.

The little black blur collided with his back and knocked the two of them to the ground. Shippo twisted sharply to the left to catch hold of Hiei's arm as it slashed forward for another cutting blow of his curled fingers.

The attacks weren't planned or precise, just brutally swift strikes laced with his unbridled magic. Scorch marks littered the roof as the two scuffled, completely ignoring Kagome as she stood there with her hands over her mouth in shock. Shippo rolled over him as Hiei reared back and grappled for control, teeth flashing as he bit Shippo's arm.

‟Kami— fuck, _stop_!" He grabbed a handful of Hiei's hair and knocked his head against the roof twice in a vain attempt to get him to release the grip of his teeth.

‟Kagome, _shit_ , I need you to—" he gasped as Hiei's knee caught him in the groin and barely held on to the flailing male beneath him. ‟Zap him for fuck's sake!" he shouted, his arm still caught in Hiei's mouth. He wrapped his limbs around Hiei's and fought to hold him still while Hiei wrenched against his grip with bloodied growls.

Kagome rushed forward and pressed burning hands to whatever she could touch in the rolling tangle of limbs. Hiei's voice cracked with a hissing snarl and the pair jerked sideways, knocking her from her feet so that she tumbled to the ground with them.

Someone caught her hair and pulled sharply. She shrieked in anger and blindly grabbed the offender's wrist with a hand flaring bright with her magic. She didn't want to kill anyone, but in the struggle to subdue such unexpected violence, someone was bound to get hurt. She poured more magic into the limb beneath her hands. The flailing of bodies and pulling against her hair slowed, then stopped.

Hiei gasped and relaxed in Shippo's hold, blinking against the glare of the sun blinding him, wondering at the stinging pain ripping through him and the taste of burning blood in his mouth.

‟Can you please let go of my hair?" Kagome's irritated voice sounded from somewhere near his left. He unclenched his fingers, realizing he had a fistful of her locks caught in his grip.

He licked his lips and swallowed back the coppery taste. He was almost afraid to ask. ‟What happened?"

Kagome got to her feet and glared down at both of them. ‟I was _enjoying_ my lunch when _someone_ did something and ruined the whole thing." She flicked her fingertips in the direction of their scattered food boxes.

Shippo thumped the back of his head against the roof as he relaxed. ‟I saw something weird in his magic and then I stupidly tested a theory," he muttered as he caught his breath, his arm still wrapped around Hiei's torso as he laid half-pinned beneath the hybrid's lax form. ‟I did _not_ see that coming."

Hiei grunted and closed his eyes in disbelief. ‟Consider yourself lucky I didn't have the mindset to use the sword."

‟I can't _believe_ you did that," Kagome frowned, poking through the overturned boxes of food to see if anything was salvageable. She picked up one container and threw a glare over her shoulder at the both of them, then took the stairs back down to Shippo's apartment.

‟I hope whatever is wrong with you isn't fucking contagious _,_ " he grumbled. ‟ _Brain parasites_. Whole fucking world going to hell in a hand-basket. _Damnit_ , my arm hurts." Shippo sat up and pushed Hiei off of him, clutching the bloody limb. Maybe if he begged with an extra cute expression, Kagome would help him fix it.

Hiei rolled to his side, watching as Shippo stood with a grimace. ‟I hope you aren't actually angry at _me_. You brought that on yourself by messing around with my magic again."

‟Yeah, well, you did the damage." He shook his arm and blood flicked down his arm, spattering along the rooftop. He sighed and put pressure on the wound as he made his way to the stairs.

Hiei narrowed his eyes, feeling like he would probably regret the next five minutes. "Wait. Gimme your damned arm."

Shippo turned back and scowled at him. "Why? Need to bite off a little bit more?"

"Don't make me bind you. Come back here. Sit."

Shippo sneered at him, well beyond irritated. "Ooh, threatening me with horny memories, are you now?"

Hiei glared. ‟Do not mistake my intentions for anything other than honorable."

Shippo stared at him for a moment, weighing his options with a long sigh. He begrudgingly walked back to him and plopped onto the tile. Hiei knelt in front of him and carefully reached for the injured limb, his wary eyes on Shippo's guarded expression.

"It was your fault this happened, but…" Hiei muttered, grasping his wrist and turning the arm gently to peer at the punctures left by his short fangs. It was a wonder that he hadn't done more damage. Either he'd been going easy on the fox in his mindlessness or Shippo was stronger than he appeared. "I will not unintentionally wound an ally and abandon them to their own recovery if it's in my power to fix."

He drew the limb to his mouth, his eyes flicking up to look the fox in the face. "If you want to keep your arm, do not move," he warned. This could be incredibly dangerous, but he wanted to try. He took a deep breath, sampling subtle scents in the air as he brushed his mind, tasting Shippo's trepidation and curiosity.

He tapped the edge of his tongue against the first puncture, picking up a fresh trace of the blood that sizzled against his mouth. "Hey, you didn't lick Kagome for this," Shippo complained.

He dragged the flat of his tongue along one line of marks, holding the arm tighter as Shippo hissed and twitched in discomfort. He swallowed and exhaled over the wound, feeling the icy chill of his magic dripping from his lips to curl against the ragged punctures.

* **She wasn't bleeding,** * he explained as he repeated the action along the other edge. A tiny urge to bite him again nudged at his thoughts, but he pushed it away. * **You taste like her,** * he commented after the second long swipe of his tongue.

Shippo watched, transfixed at the sight of that pink tongue tracing along his skin. He shuddered and leaned forward an inch as he luxuriated in that smoky scent, wondering if Hiei tasted as good as he smelled. Kagome might know. But then again, Kagome might be the only one who would _ever_ know. A tiny sigh escaped his chest as he watched and savored the brief contact of calloused fingers along his skin and the irritable elemental's mouth on his arm.

Hiei picked up the interesting turn in his thoughts as the icy magic spilled forth, curling into the wound and pulling it shut. Still holding the arm, he tilted his head up to peer at his half-lidded gaze, then licked his lip to wipe away the last trace of the kitsune's burning blood. Shippo's eyes followed it like a magnet.

* **How long has it been?** *

"She..." He swallowed, staring at him with shallow breaths and parted lips. ‟…Just went downstairs a few minutes ago."

Hiei kept his hold on the arm and leaned further into his space, speaking aloud this time. "How long has it been?"

Hiei's woodsmoke scent had been tempered with something new and interesting, reminiscent of an odd herb he'd found once while poking around the wilds of the north. He didn't know him well enough yet to know what it might mean, but he could wager a guess. ‟Don't tease me," he whispered, staring at the mouth inches from his. He wondered how disappointed Kagome might be if he licked at that spot of blood, _right there_. It was important to not be messy, after all.

Hiei edged a little bit closer, his eyes on the cuts along Shippo’s chin. His eyes slid shut as his tongue traced the edge of his jaw, catching the tiniest hint of blood before he exhaled gently against the skin, his magic spilling forth to force the wound to heal. He pulled back an inch to peer at his handiwork, then hummed in approval and and stood abruptly. ‟Might want to order more food."

Shippo blinked at the suddenly empty space in front of him.

* **You said you'd make the first move. I guess you're all talk**.*

Shippo choked and stumbled to his feet, staring around him in confusion. _What the fuck?_ The rooftop was an absolute disaster with spilled food boxes, scorch marks, and gouges that tore up large swathes of the tile work.

He was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please review or kudos if you are enjoying so far... it takes like five seconds to say "thanks for the update' or something equally short just to let me know you aren't going **o_O** at the weirdness my brain comes up with... Yes, I broke Hiei. With good reason. TBC.


	38. Spicy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some like it hot.

Kagome wasn't hiding. At least, that's what she told herself as she sat against the door with her knees tucked up against her chest. These last few days had felt like a pointless uphill battle against some ridiculous problem that no one seemed to be able to figure out.

She _wanted_ to call Koenma to see if his medical staff had discovered anything with all of the samples they'd taken. _Surely_ professionals would have a better chance of cracking this case than whatever blind attempts they were stumbling through.

She closed her eyes and centered herself. Shippo had been glued to her side since she'd returned, probably out of a fear that whatever was wrong with her might have some hidden dire consequence if she were left unattended for too long.

Maybe he was right, but she should be safe enough by herself in this tiny enclosed space without outside influences that could trigger the odd blackout madness. She expanded her focus to find the others.

Shippo was still on the roof, and his magic seemed… dull. Something was bothering him, depressing his normal shine.

Hiei was much closer, somewhere in the living room. His magic felt strange, with traces of chill lingering, exposed in the open where he'd normally kept it tucked far away from sight.

An odd violet shimmered in and out of view around him. Neither the energy of his third eye nor the malevolence of the dragon's presence looked anything like this. She bit her lip and watched as it fluttered around his magic like a pesky insect. She leaned back against the bathroom door with a quiet sigh, wishing she understood even a fraction about this mysterious dark male that seemed so intent on making himself a part of her life.

She couldn't understand what had caused him to snap like that. It sounded like Shippo had a hand in it, so he must have been messing with things she couldn't see. Had Shippo pissed him off? Tweaked something that should never be touched?

When Shippo had acted like an idiot in the past, the worst she'd witnessed was him being tossed from the window. This afternoon, Hiei had looked like he'd been possessed by something, mindless and out of control. She wondered why he'd stared her down but then leapt at the fox as soon as he'd come into view. Maybe it had been some protective surge? It must have been something he'd _seen_ , because he hadn't reacted to Shippo's voice. But what could it have been?

Hiei had seemed confused at his lapse in control, and Shippo had definitely not been expecting it. Was it related to the strangeness creeping into her life? Was his reaction what hers could have been like?

She rubbed her scalp with a frown. That had _hurt_. She was thankful her magic had snapped him out of whatever had happened. She worried her lip between her teeth, watching as Hiei's energy moved toward her hiding spot, seemed to think better of it, then retreated into the living room.

She thumped her head against the bathroom door in mild exasperation. Why couldn't the problems plaguing her just be reasoned with? (Or at the very least, beaten into submission…)

The afternoon sun had shifted from relaxing warmth to nearly oppressive heat as Shippo stared down at the scattered mess in dismay.

He leaned over the disarray of food, pushing everything together into a paper bag. What the hell was he doing? What the hell was _Hiei_ doing? Was he interested in her, or in him? Should he even be permitting such behavior when Kagome had shown a clear interest in this new youkai in their lives?

He shouldn't have _joked_ so damned much.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He'd keep his distance. He had to. He didn't want to take something from under her nose after he'd had plenty of opportunities to enjoy life and would continue to do so long after she was gone. She'd had so few chances to have something for herself.

He scooped the bag up and considered mopping (or incinerating) the spatters of blood and the remnants of sauce smeared where they'd been sitting, but the forecast for rain in the next few days would probably do the trick. He'd need to come back up here before then to repair some of the tiles and ensure nothing would leak.

He shook his head in irritation at the mess of his roof and his life. Relationships, even brief flings, were oftentimes tricky when additional people got involved. He sighed and stared down at the sticky residue drying on his fingers.

He rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead, collecting himself before he made his way back into the apartment.

Hiei was reclined comfortably along the couch, his eyes closed as he did kami-knew-what with his mind-reading bullshit. He frowned at the dark youkai before stalking to the trash bin to toss the bag and then washed the mess from his fingers. Drying blood liberally stained the front of his pale shirt, and he stared down at the rust-colored smears with chagrin. He didn't relish washing blood out of clothes, but he liked this shirt.

He glanced back at Hiei as he unbuttoned. ‟Where'd she go?"

Hiei waved in the direction of the bathroom door.

He peeled the fabric from his torso where it stuck to him with blood _and more damned sauce_. He wasn't terribly surprised that he'd managed to somehow roll through the food. ‟Sorry," he muttered. ‟I shouldn't have messed around with your magic… I should have asked. Or something." Shippo dropped his shirt in the sink and ran cool water over the fabric to rub carefully at the mess. _Fuck,_ if he had this much shit on his shirt, he wondered if Hiei had a similar mess on him that might have gotten transferred to his couch. He sighed and resigned himself to a lengthy cleaning session at some point in the near future.

Hiei cracked open his eyes and tilted his head as he watched him. ‟Under normal circumstances, such a thing would not have been…" he paused, considering his words before he continued, ‟ill-advised."

Shippo rinsed his shirt as he ran those words through his mind several times. _What the heck does that even mean? Is he trying to say that if he wasn't broken he'd **want** me to poke at his magic?_

* **Learning your limitations and exploring your abilities in harmless ways should be encouraged. I'd rather have a skilled ally at my side than a pathetic weakling that knows nothing of his nature.** *

Shippo snorted and flexed his arm, looking down at the chilled patch of skin where Hiei had used his weird magic to heal the messy bite. ‟Not very harmless right now, though, is it." He hung up his wet shirt to dry over the balcony and fished out a replacement from a decorative cabinet beneath a window.

Hiei shrugged. ‟You are no longer injured."

' _My pride is_ ,' he thought, pulling the soft t-shirt over his head. He wasn't sure how he might have been able to stop him if Kagome hadn't been there. Using his magic had apparently triggered him, and using it _more_ to try and slow him down had just made him more wild. ‟Why does it feel like you're broken like she is? It wasn't like this before you left."

Hiei was a little too quick with his denial. ‟It is not the same thing. And I'm not broken."

‟You sure? Seemed pretty broken just a bit ago. Are you _normally_ a biter?"

He ignored him and changed the subject. ‟Have you ordered replacement food, yet?"

Shippo scowled and dropped to the couch beside the irritating fire elemental. ‟Not yet. Which did you prefer, anyways, the spicy or sweet?"

Hiei didn't look at him, his attention focused on the bathroom. Kagome's shadow was just barely visible in the strip of light beneath the door. ‟I like it hot."

Shippo paused, his annoyance evaporating as he stared at the younger male. He opened his mouth to make an inappropriate joke, then snapped it shut without saying anything, smirking as he turned his attention to the cellphone to call in a second order. (The restaurant was happy for additional business; Shippo tipped well.)

"So anyways," he dropped his voice low, hoping Kagome wouldn't hear what they were talking about. "Back to this solution or key, whatever you found. You _want_ her to unleash her magic on you… er…" he paused, ‟…at climax?"

"No, I just wanted to see what happens at the end. If the jewel wanted our magic, it would make sense that it would just be taken."

"But she can't take like that, same as me. Her magic gets all pissy and makes us want to vomit unless it's freely given."

Hiei nodded. ‟Which makes me believe that _something_ , probably the jewel, is trying to get her partner to share at her, which is one of the natural side-effects of coupling."

Shippo narrowed his eyes. "That sort of outward sharing doesn't happen during sex unless you're _really_ into your partner. It's not a casual thing." He peered at him with mild concern. "Like… it's meant for _life partners_. Is your info from secondhand knowledge or firsthand experience?"

Another ignored question.

"Not knowing something doesn't make you any less of a person," he tried. "We all learn new shit every day, even the oldest of us."

Hiei pursed his lips and looked at him with a critical gaze. ‟You should try."

‟ _Coupling_?" He choked out.

Hiei rolled his eyes. ‟Obviously not that. I mean to share at her."

Shippo's face paled. "We've already tried that."

‟Try it differently, then."

He sighed and pressed his hand to his face. "Okay, sure, but why me? You could do it, too," he muttered. ‟She _likes_ you."

Hiei blinked as though the answer should be obvious. "If you think it's too risky for me, then you should try. The magic I can share is _very_ limited, unless she _wants_ to be wounded first so I can use healing magic. The binding curse seemed to be more detrimental than helpful." He tapped a lip in mock consideration. ‟I might be wrong. Maybe she relishes the idea of being set on fire, or perhaps even secretly longs to be consumed by an interdimensional dragon."

Shippo shook his head in exasperation.

‟You kitsune have that _thing_ going on." Hiei fluttered his fingers in Shippo's face. "Share the kind of magic that gives nothing back to you and serves you no purpose. I've seen Kurama use it; the gift that makes plants grow from seeds. If something should go wrong, she won't be able to harm _you_. And I'll step in if things get out of hand."

They stared at each other for a short moment before Shippo nodded in resignation.

Kagome casually stepped out of the bathroom (because she _hadn't_ been hiding) and found them sitting on the couch staring at her with resolve. ' _This doesn't seem ominous at all_ ,' she thought, her eyebrow arching in vague concern.

‟We have discussed," Hiei announced. ‟If you wish to continue working through this weakness, then you must accept that I might get burned, or you might have to practice with Shippo. If neither is acceptable, we will move on to other concerns."

‟We aren't going to talk about whatever _that_ was?" She waved above her head to indicate the roof.

They replied at the same time. ‟He apologized." ‟He fixed it."

Kagome narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she glanced between the two of them. ‟That was pretty scary. I thought you were going to kill him. What happened?"

Hiei shook his head. ‟I don't know, but he's not going to mess around with my magic again any time soon, so it shouldn't come up again unexpectedly."

‟And you don't think that you _actually_ trying to kill him is more important to fix than me _possibly_ trying to kill someone?"

‟The circumstances of my troubles are hardly as pressing as yours. If Shippo is right and you get sent off on another mission unexpectedly, knowing what's wrong and how to counter it will be more immediately beneficial. I am not required to be anywhere until I damned well please."

She couldn't help but smile at his expression. Apparently he enjoyed his freedom and didn't care to have anyone telling him where he should be.

‟More food is on the way. Hiei suggested I try sharing at you like he did with his healing stuff."

She clutched her hands in front of her waist, suddenly nervous. ‟Not the suggestion magic?"

‟Nah," he said, sliding from his spot on the couch to sit on the floor. ‟Some kitsune put their excess energy into little trinkets to save for later. It will be kinda like that."

Neither of them seemed very worried about this going horribly wrong, so she sat in front of him and took his outstretched hand in hers.

Shippo closed his eyes with a short sigh, then murmured, ‟Ready?"

Hiei settled quietly at her side and touched his fingertips to her arm, maintaining the connection so he could watch as the black void opened within her again. The subtle stream of the kitsune's magic trickled forth and drifted up her arms to be sucked into the nothingness. He wasn't sure if the energy was being completely wasted on this effort, or if it was such a small quantity that it was more like using a cup to replenish a dried lake bed.

* **This is not making much progress. How much more can you spare?** *

' _Lots, especially if we start up the fireplace so I can recharge_.'

* **Try more at once**.*

She made a little sound of surprise at the warmth spreading up her arms. ‟You're getting kinda hot," she said. The rising heat mixed with the tingle of his magic drifting into her was an interesting combination, pleasant and relaxing like a long soak in a hot spring.

‟Psh, I'm always hot," he replied with a smirk, but he adjusted his approach to try and reduce the ambient temperature.

A moment later, the intercom buzzed, startling both from their focus. Shippo jumped up like lightning had struck and bounded to the door, eager for a reprieve. Playing around with her magic and whatever was wrong with her seemed like the worst of ideas.

She shuddered out a long sigh and tried to center herself. ‟Did you learn anything new?"

Hiei pulled his hand back from her arm and looked at his tingling fingertips in curiosity. ‟No. Whatever the jewel is doing with the magic, it seems to just vanish into nothing."

She turned slightly to look at him and her knee brushed his thigh. She swallowed, glancing down at the small connection between them before remembering a question she'd meant to ask earlier. ‟Why do you think it's semi-sentient?"

‟It is an impression I get when I'm paying close attention to how it behaves. Our team has dealt with more than a few strange and powerful artifacts in the past. You might be surprised how many inanimate objects I've encountered that have half-formed wishes."

‟What could the jewel desire? It has so much already. It feels almost limitless."

Hiei leaned back against the furniture, tapping his fingertips on his knee inches from where her leg touched his. ‟Perhaps not that it wants more of something it already has, but it wants… something different. Something that is missing. Your connection with the jewel is not just as its host, but its guardian, correct?"

She nodded.

‟If you are susceptible to certain kinds of magic, perhaps what we are witnessing is an attempt to gain an immunity to whatever might affect you negatively, or whatever weakness you cannot easily defend against."

‟Maybe that's why I black out for some kinds but not others? It seems kind of idiotic that I don't have control when I'm in the most danger."

He shook his head. ‟I'm not sure. I think we'll need more clues before anything will make sense." Even with the additional insight he had regarding the oddities witnessed in Makai, whatever problem ailed her still made little sense. It seemed impossible that the Makai madness could be related to her troubles. She'd only been back for a few days.

Shippo walked through the door with several boxes. Hiei blurred out of sight for a moment and she laughed when he reappeared a second later with one of the boxes, a pair of chopsticks, and the first piece of his food already halfway to his mouth.

He savored his bite. The spicy sauce tingled against his tongue, not quite hot enough to impress, but passable. He glanced up to see Kagome watching him with a small smile. ' _She doesn't burn. She's spicy._ ' The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement at the association.

Shippo set more water on the stove to boil before joining them with the other boxes and chopsticks. ‟No more magic while we eat, right? I really want to avoid a humongous mess in my living room."

Kagome grinned and nodded in agreement, her gaze briefly dropping to her knee. Hiei had made sure to sit exactly where he'd been so that their legs touched.

She carefully folded her empty box closed after taking her last bite, her gaze drifting to the late afternoon light filtering in through the windows. ‟Are we going to be doing this much longer? I should head back home before it gets dark."

Shippo rolled onto his back, licking beneath one of his claws at a tiny remnant from dinner. ‟We can always just stay here. More room to cuddle."

‟On the couch?"

‟Nah, I have futons. We can make a big pile of everything, and no more being squashed next to a wall."

She curled her hands around her tea, soaking in the warmth through her fingers. ‟So _if_ I agreed to such a thing, who should sleep in the middle? Hiei doesn't seem like the type to take that spot."

Shippo laughed. ‟I doubt he'll give in so easily next time." He propped himself on an elbow and mock-whispered, ‟We'll have to drag him to bed with us." He leaned over with a grin to peer past her at Hiei, who had returned to his spot on the couch. ‟You gonna cuddle again if we stay here?"

Hiei didn't bother opening his eyes. He had a clear view of Kagome's face through Shippo's mind. ‟You have returned. There is no need for me to sleep at her side to guard against the dreams." He watched the subtle shift in her expression that indicated she was disappointed with that reply.

Shippo noticed, too, and scrambled for reasons to convince him it wasn't such a bad idea. ‟It's not about _need_ , it's about what's nice. It's about comfort and trust and knowing you'll be safe. It's about not being alone."

Hiei didn't answer. He trusted Kagome, but he wasn't sure if he trusted the fox enough for such a thing. He had _expected_ to remain on guard the night before, but he'd fallen prey to the calm, quiet warmth.

He released a quiet sigh and watched her through Shippo's thoughts as he cleaned up the boxes from dinner, teasing remarks sprinkled throughout to try and cheer her. She seemed troubled, but he doubted it was about something so mundane as where she'd be spending the night.

He was right, but he might not have guessed the real reason she worried her lip between her teeth. She was concerned about home, but she wanted these little things for herself. Small comforts, togetherness, and maybe even a relationship one day. Would her selfish wishes end up causing trouble for her family?

She knew she couldn't spend the rest of her life guarding the shrine. Her new duties would guarantee she'd be spending at least _some_ time away.

Would the danger that might fall on her family be less inclined to strike if she wasn't present?

Would it follow wherever she went?

She gripped her cup a little tighter, staring down into the steaming depths.

‟I'll stay, tonight. I want to check the barrier before we go to sleep, though," she murmured. She didn't dare push for Hiei to join them in their pile.

Shippo clapped his hands together with a widening grin. He scrambled to his feet to fetch all the bedding, which he then laid out and fluffed up in the center of the living room.

A little while passed without much notable conversation, just quiet lounging and sips of tea as the sun set over the neighborhood. Kagome eyed her pouch and thought about the pair of kitsune-print pajamas still tucked within. She really didn't feel like suffering through the good-natured teasing that would no doubt stem from her wearing those in front of the trickster that had given them to her.

"Where do your tails go?" she murmured, lounging against the couch as she admired the reddish-gold horizon.

He hummed questioningly, his attention elsewhere as he dozed close to the window.

"When you use magic to hide your tails, they aren't actually _there_ anymore. Where do they go?"

"I call them illusions, but most of it is really shape-shifting. It's why I can go tiny-form and weigh so little, and why my pants and shoes fit correctly."

"So when you pretend to be me…" she grinned, peeking at him.

"Yep, the whole package." He cupped his hands in front of his chest and mimed having breasts.

She rolled her eyes and tossed a pillow at him. "So the tails are _gone_ until you change and bring them back? Is that why you keep them hidden so often?"

"Nah, I just really love the way my pants fit," he chuckled.

Hiei yawned and stretched from his spot on the couch. "We have rested long enough."

Kagome sighed forlornly and stretched as well, resigned to more trouble.

"Everything we have tried has resulted in no improvement to what seems to be the root problem. The few clues we have still defy explanation. If we cannot fix the problem, perhaps we should focus on overcoming its side effects."

‟It really feels like we're running up an icy slope," she grumbled.

Shippo groaned in irritation, but rolled over to slowly drag himself across the floor until the top of his head bumped Kagome's leg, where he sighed and relaxed.

‟Partially. You've shown some improvement in recognizing the loss in control, and soon you might be able to shrug it off entirely. If this discomfort means you're another step closer to immunity, then it's a worthy pursuit."

She begrudgingly agreed, patting Shippo's hair in reassurance as she wondered what the plan would be this time. He sat up and bowed his head, knowing Hiei was right even if it _sucked_. The sooner she was fixed, the sooner they could be normal again.

Hiei turned his attention to the justifiably wary fox. * **Use your suggestions to convince her she's having a very good time.** *

Shippo swallowed nervously, wiping his hands on his pants. ' _She's not going to sit still for something like that._ '

Hiei tilted his head to watch him squirm. * **You lack faith and imagination. An enemy using her weakness against her might start with the most appealing methods to sway her favor.** *

Shippo fought a scowl. Hiei had a good point, but jumping into the deep end of the pool seemed a little overreaching.

"Have faith in yourself," he said to both of them. "It will be difficult, but you must be able to do this without someone holding you back. Despite you both trusting one another, you must consider this weakness as the enemy, and the enemy should not be allowed to run rampant."

She pressed her lips together and nodded firmly.

Hiei touched his fingers to her arm and glanced at Shippo. * **Hold on for as long as possible. I will monitor you both.** *

Hanging on to her while she went through her madness seemed like a _terrible_ idea, and both were understandably nervous, having experienced firsthand how quickly things could get out of control.

They sat cross-legged facing one another with their knees touching. He reached out for her hands, only trembling a tiny bit as her fingers clasped his. ‟It'll be okay," she murmured, as though he needed the reassurance. Well, he kind of did. He was probably more worried about what might happen in the next ten minutes than anyone else in the room.

Her magic sparked to life in anticipation of blocking the expected assault, but she did her best to contain it so it wouldn't affect him. Still, it lit up like a bonfire, flooding her aura with pale pink power. He didn't feel much more than the tiniest brush of that addictive energy, but it was present and he couldn't ignore it any more than he could ignore the nervous twitch of her fingers and the elevated rate of her heart.

She nodded that she was ready, and he swallowed down his anxiety to nudge her with a touch of his magic. He'd never had to convince someone they were enjoying themselves, because he was very good at what he did. This lie was like ash in his mouth even as it curled sweetly from his fingertips. 

She gasped and clutched his fingers tighter. 

‟Focus," he whispered. ‟Use your magic to…" His words cut off as her pink glow intensified. 

She clung to the dissolving shreds of her willpower and tried to fight off the haze that had taken over her mind despite the highly appealing urge to crawl into his lap and push him to the floor.

An offshoot of her energy followed his magic back to him, zipping up his arms on instinct to see if he was the source of whatever ailed her. He shuddered and held on, remaining as calm as he could, thinking of bland plants and how slowly they grew, the varieties that could both poison and serve as a food source, depending on what part was consumed. His thoughts drifted to the vegetation growing into the mogura tunnels he'd explored in his youth. Carving new passageways with the mogura had been hard work, and they'd get filthy, the sweat dripping from skin and taut muscles, trickling along the curves of flesh…

Someone kicked him.

‟Focus," he said again, more to remind himself as her magic thrummed up his arms. ‟You're… fighting off the haze, right?"

She shuddered and flared her magic again. He bit his lip and swallowed thickly, holding very still with his eyes closed. If feeling her energy rippling up his arms and smelling exactly what his magic was doing to her was this bad, he couldn't imagine how much worse it would be if he could see her skin flush as she squirmed in discomfort.

She made the kind of sound that had him rolling forward, settling his weight on his knees in anticipation of—

* **No, hold still a moment longer. I can see that she's nearly over it.** *

Hiei's mind was like an anchor that he latched onto in desperation.

* **Relax. Listen to her breaths. She is calming. The storm is passing.** *

He opened his eyes as she pulled her hands free from his. She discreetly tensed as she rubbed them over her face, but Shippo recognized Kagome's silent scream of frustration.

* **And you thought something awful would happen. That wasn't so bad.** *

Shippo rolled onto his side, facing away from them both with a pillow clutched in his arms. ‟Not so bad, my ass," he growled. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this anymore.

‟This is so embarrassing," Kagome moaned, her voice muffled as she covered her head with a throw blanket.

Shippo sighed and stuffed his face in his pillow. ‟I don't know who gave you the idea that nonstop training works, but I think they were an idiot. It definitely doesn't apply to this shit."

Hiei stood and paced with a thoughtful expression. ‟Once more. I feel like we're getting close to answers."

Shippo cursed. ‟Then _you_ can do it this time. I need a mental break. And tequila."

Hiei cocked an eyebrow. "We just had a break."

Kagome quickly interjected. ‟Look, as much fun as this has been, I need to do _anything_ else." She eyed the bathroom and contemplated the merits of a cold shower.

Shippo stood and strolled into the kitchen, pulling out dusty bottle from a cabinet and waving it in her direction.

 _I guess he wasn't kidding about the tequila._ She couldn't imagine how much more trouble she could get herself into if she managed to get drunk along with everything else. ‟No thanks, but I could go for some more tea… Maybe chamomile this time?"

He laughed and set a fresh kettle to boil.

Hiei lounged on his side along the edge of the couch, one of his legs draped over the armrest and his arms flung over his head as he watched the other two nurse their drinks and avoid looking at anything in particular. "Why do you hesitate? Do you wish to delay the inevitable? Invite potential disaster?"

She huffed a sigh, glancing up from her tea to briefly meet his eyes. "Well, no, but—"

"Do you feel like you're being pressured into something?"

She shook her head in denial. "No, we—"

An eyebrow cocked as he interrupted her with an obvious point she'd stated just ten minutes ago. "You're embarrassed."

She visibly wilted over her cup of tea.

He briefly closed his eyes and wagered a guess that might make her mad, but he wanted to get to the root of what was bothering her. "And you feel inadequate."

She tried for a glare but it was half-hearted once she realized he wouldn't see it, anyways. Her slight anger had already faded into a small frown by the time he met her eyes again.

He watched her carefully and hoped she'd answer his next question. ‟But that's not all, is it?"

She stared down at her reflection along the surface of her tea. ‟All of these… _moments_ …have been outside of my control. New experiences taken from me, or things that have happened when I wasn't really _there_ for it." She blew out a breath that fluffed her bangs and took a long sip before continuing. ‟I feel a little bit robbed. I remember last night, but it wasn't me. It wasn't what I would have wanted to do for a first kiss, and that doesn't seem fair _at all_."

Still staring at her cup, her brain caught up with her words and she realized what she'd admitted. She froze, cringing that she'd blurted something so idiotic.

There was a long silence as she contemplated better ways to have expressed her troubles before Hiei replied with something she hadn't ever expected to hear. "Then kiss me, now."

Her heart leapt into her throat as she looked up from her cup to stare at him. _‟What?"_

"Appease your curiosity so that it bothers you no longer."

Her mouth fell open. "But I'm not—" She didn't want to kiss him just because she was curious _what it was like_. She wanted there to be mutual attraction.

"Reach out because you want to, not because you can't help yourself." He closed his eyes, relaxing into the couch with a very subtle sigh.

She stood, biting her lip with indecision. He probably wouldn't have suggested such a thing if he didn't _want_ her to kiss him. But what if he just wanted her to stop mulling over being blackout crazy, and was offering himself as a way to ease her concerns and appease her curiosity? She frowned and glanced over her shoulder at Shippo, who poured himself another shot of tequila with a pensive look as he deliberately ignored them.

"Not him," Hiei murmured, and she turned to look back at his lounging form, his eyes closed as he waited for what she would say or do.

What did he think she'd do? What did he mean by this offer? Why wouldn't he look at her?

She scowled in irritation and glanced at Shippo again, who shrugged and helpfully waved her away. As she turned back to Hiei, he picked up his bottle and slipped quietly out onto the balcony with a little grin.

Kagome felt herself growing more upset as she stepped closer, staring down at his relaxed expression.

"Don't be angry about things you cannot possibly know," he whispered, glancing up at her through his dark lashes.

She looked down at him, her frown melting as she studied his features. His crimson gaze had been corrupted by the grey creeping into his irises, and his behavior the last day had been strange. But he'd offered, and he looked at her with such a calm and open expression.

Appease her curiosity?

She reached out toward one of his arms draped over his head and traced her fingertip down a long line of exposed skin, dipping into countless small scars and brushing over muscles that twitched under her caress. She smoothed her thumbs along the wide mark left after she'd hastily reattached his arm using magic borrowed from the jewel. She realized it was not entirely a scar; much of the visible paleness was just a band of unmarked skin, free from the rough patterns that told a tale of innumerable hardships in his long life.

She ran her fingers up his shoulders and neck, feeling a slight tremor in his throat as he swallowed, watching her movements with a half-lidded gaze. She brushed her thumbs across his cheeks and eyebrows, then gently traced along the fabric covering his forehead. She wondered at the subtle presence she could detect beneath the concealing band of white. He had sussed out every detail of her life in what had felt like mere moments, and she wanted to know the same about him. What made him who he was?

Her gaze dropped to his lips and she touched his mouth with the tip of her little finger, then slid it sideways across the soft surface of his lower lip. When he wasn't frowning or scowling with irritation, he had a noticeably lush mouth, and she marveled at the warm, velvety smoothness. His eyes slid shut and his breath shuddered out in the softest of sighs.

She threaded her fingers into his hair and leaned over him to brushed her nose across the soft black strands, savoring the subtle scent of woodsmoke.

She pressed a gentle kiss to each of his eyelids, then slowly rubbed her cheek down the side of his face, gathering the nerve for what she really wanted to do. She touched her lips to the corner of his mouth, then traced the tip of her tongue across the petal-soft surface she'd touched moments before, thrilling in the way his face turned toward hers expectantly with parted lips.

She pulled back a few inches to stare down at him. She'd been kissed by others more than a few times recently, and to finally have that control fully in her hands was an empowering experience. He opened his eyes and looked up at her as though confused why she'd stopped. She knelt at his side and leaned forward with a sigh, pressing her mouth firmly to his.

He held himself carefully still as she sampled his texture with her lips, licked at his cupid's bow, then brazenly nipped at his lower lip.

When she pulled back with some disappointment, he opened his eyes to look at her and asked quietly, "Have you had enough to sate your curiosity?" She shook her head with a little frown, and he smiled before replying, "Good."

He rolled to sit up and pulled her between his parted knees to rest flush against his chest, his face inches from hers. They studied at each other in those quiet moments, his eyes flicking between the damp shine of her mouth and the slight part of her lips, the thick lashes around soft blue eyes. He leaned forward slightly and brushed his nose along hers, pressing his lips to hers with the greatest of care.

She gripped his shirt with a sigh, leaning into his embrace as his arms slid more firmly around her. The kiss was soft and sweet as their lips touched, tentative in their exploring.

 _This_ was what her first kiss should have been like; without the rush, she felt free to linger on the smallest of details like how their noses bumped when she sought a new angle, or how she felt his mouth curve in a hidden smile as she laughed against his lips. Free from the uncontrolled reactions and pressures of magic gone bad, they brushed cheeks and met again for an unhurried touch of the lips.

Her magic unfolded, enveloping him in a gentle, tingling warmth as she melted against him, luxuriating in the feel of his steel strength wrapped carefully around her, his fingers sliding slowly along her back in measured strokes as he felt for the scars through her shirt. She felt a sweet longing drifting somewhere between them, although she wasn't sure if it was from her mind or his.

She sighed against his mouth and slid her arms around his neck, confident that the fire department would have to pry them apart with one of their rescue tools.

* **You have too many stories where others have taken without your permission** ,* he thought, threading his fingers through her hair to tug her face into a better angle. * **I will do nothing without your permission. You must ask, demand, or take first.** * He ran his lips and teeth along her jaw as she shuddered.

‟Talking too much," she whispered, taking hold of his hair to return his mouth to hers. She would _take_ a few more of these kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg I'm (not) sorry, is this too much? I know, I know. I've taken it a bit too far. (Not far enough IMO...) I'm enjoying the process. And I know at least one person has been cringing at some (all) of what feels OOC. Can you IMAGINE how Hiei's friends would react if they were to see him behaving like this? (Because at least one of them will pretty soon...)

**Author's Note:**

> New end note updated 2-27: this fic will probably be bumped up to E for explicit here on AO3. Some of the chapter work I have going on in the next few weeks contains pretty graphic sex. I mean, I've read MORE graphic work here on the site, but it's... yeah. I wasn't expecting it to get this bad, hence the start as M. ...Anyways.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Planning is still (somewhat) underway! (yes, despite being over 130k words, planning is still ongoing. This fic is gonna be a long one, but we have for sure passed the halfway point.) fair warning reiterated from earlier in the fic, pairings might not be what you expect. We've had some Koenma/Kagome (one-sided?), Kagome/Shippo (teasing?) and Kagome/Hiei (will they or won't they??) with the possibility of Kagome/Kurama (sex-starved kitsune _poor baby noooooo_ ). We’ve now seen a bit where Hiei/Kurama had a thing, at least once in the past, and Shippo might have teased just a bit too often. There's still a lot of room for the plot to shift what ends up happening from where I'd planned things to go, but I'm very focused on where things are headed with Kagome, Shippo, and Hiei right now. :) (Oh they're headed _dirty_ places, stay tuned!)
> 
> I enjoy doing final draft read-throughs here on AO3 so I’ll probably post updates here before FFN :) 
> 
> I don’t currently have a beta for a second set of eyes, so I definitely miss things. Please comment if you have questions (no promise for answer but questions keep the brain churning through issues I might have neglected or forgotten about) or if you find a typo / awful grammar issue (I’d rather see a helpful critique any day of the week), and pretty please leave me a kudos if you're enjoying! It's like tipping your barista, only this costs nothing. love to you all ~


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